


Perdition

by ChemicalCris



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2019-11-05 07:30:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 19,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17914496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChemicalCris/pseuds/ChemicalCris
Summary: Remnant, is a land full of heroes, huntsman and fantastic legends, but this isn’t a story about any of that. This is a story about the people who call such a land home: the broken, the corrupt, and the content.





	1. Starting off.

“What’s with the face? You look constipated, man.” A teenager in gym gear grunts out.

“Well, you look like… Ah, fuck it you look fine.” A tall young man in a snazzy black, and white suit reluctantly admits.

“Yeah, that’s cause I eat twice the daily recommended amount of fiber everyday.” The younger man says cracking his neck

“What?” The man in the suit replies dumbstruck

“Uh, ya’ know cause I said you looked constipated... and fiber helps, and… honestly it just sounded better in my head.” The teen clumsily offers.

“Sure, whatever bud. Let’s just keep the fiber levels normal, okay? I don’t think shitting yourself in the ring’s a sound strategy” The man jokes.

“ONE MINUTE BEFORE THE NEXT MACH! GET YOUR SNACKS AND SEATS FOLKS!” A nasally voice barks over the loud speaker.

“Alright, take a couple hits then put Gregorio’s boy down before the one minute mark, any special requests?” The kid says using his forearm to pull his arm by the elbow across his chest.

“Actually, Greggy moved the finish to the middle of the round. Oh, and he wants a big finale go for something flashy like a spinning upper cut or something.”

“Eughhh.” the kid sighs “Welp, better get into the ring, and uh could you get me some sour gummy worms?” he concludes walking away.

“Sure thing, and uh, thanks for this Zero.” The man says to his compatriot’s back.

Zero walks into a boxing ring flanked on all sides barring the entrances at opposing ends of the ring. When both fighters are in the ring a metal panel is slid into at place each entrance blocking the exits from the ring. Zero takes off his robe and tucks it in the underside of the ring, as does the other fighter. 

“Welcome back folks, We’re gearing up to, what’s surely going to be, a fantastic match here in the Iron Cage!!!” The nasally announcer starts in through the loud speaker. 

“In the red corner we have, ZEROOOOOO! The Kid With No Name. From the back alleys of nowhere. Fighting tooth and nail every step of the way just to stay alive. And in the blue corner, hailing straight from Atlas he’s big he’s mean he’s the Skull Crusher, Nero Crimson!!!”

Zero: 5’9, lean 130Lbs. Olive skin red eyes. wearing dark-ish gray robe with cut off sleeves, black sweat pants ripped and frayed at the ends from use, black and white ratty high top sneakers. Hands wrapped in white boxing tape tapering off a little past the wrist. Black mid length slick back hair curling at the ends. Numerous scars cover his arms, chest, back, and legs, yet few on his face.   
Nero: 7’8, brawny 240Lbs. Pale skin. Short blonde hair precisely cut into a uniform militant buzz cut. Wearing boxing trunks, hand wraps and foot wraps. Eye color green.

“Now remember folks n’ fighters it’s no gloves, no weapons, and no aura, it’s gonna get bloody, it’s gonna get brutal, it’s exactly what you paid for.”

“Fighters, get ready, get set.” A female voice piping in through the same loud speaker speaks up. “Fight!”


	2. Giant Killing.

The bell sounds off three sharp annoying rings. I raise my guard immediately. Nero steps to, leading with his left. His stance is completely open, sloppy even. I roll my eyes and lower my guard fakeing a punch, intentionally giving the amateur an opening. Here comes his punch, looks like your average body shot i just arch my back as soon as it hits. Right-WAIT WHAT?! FUCK!!! AN UPPERCUT?! HOW?!!!

 It was just there one second and gone the next. I reel back and put some distance between us, he’s smiling a shit eating grin. I taste blood and I think one of my teeth chipped. Not important, this guy’s trouble. I rush in hoping to force him off guard. He’s slow, again, but I ain’t dropping my guard. Good, it’s working. I'm going for a killer right cross to the liver. It connects but he’s not even phased.

 He counters impossible fast, same deal there and gone. I push my arm in the way of his fist before he can lay another hit directly on my jaw. His arm disappears from it’s original trajectory and reappears in burring itself in my stomach. Before he reels in his punch I grab his wrist and return the uppercut. And again nothing, not even a flinch, I let go of his wrist and jump back out of his range. I don’t care how tough and beefy this is motherfucker, no way he’s no selling a punch like that. He’s gotta have his aura up... So, either he’s just being an asshole or he never received the order I did. In which case, as far I'm concerned, this fight’s open season. Now I need to get Junior in the loop.

 First thing’s first gotta prove beyond a shadow of a doubt Nero’s cheating. I drop my guard and give ol’ Nero a classic bird. Big boy very obviously pissed rushes in and I take the opportunity to steel myself for a big hit. He goes for a wide right telegraphed from a mile away. Easy peasy, I feign a dodge to his left, and get ready to grab his arm after his disappearing act. Called it, the boy got greedy and went for my head... again. I get a solid grip around his fist, pivot on my left foot pulling him forward by his missed punch, and grab his elbow positioning myself for some theatrics. He starts regaining balance, but it’s too late.

 I shove his arm aside and lunge to the back of his knees. A deft kick sends him tumbling backwards. I open wide and chomp down on his neck. I clamp down hard getting a mouth full of sinewy tissue, but his skin just squishes down against the force of the bite until I'm just kind of pinching his neck with my teeth. Not convinced whether or not Junior gets what I'm going for I try to tear into the little skin still between my teeth like a dog ripping into a fresh thick and juicy steak. With a flourish i pull back and the skin snaps back into place completely unchanged. Nero grabs me by the face and throws me to the opposite side of the ring straight into the metal cage. I feel the poorly maintained fence slice into my back and the familiar sensation of blood spilling from and coating my skin. I shoulder charge into Nero knocking him into the opposing fence. I hop away, and scan the crowd for Junior i find him making his way to the announcer's booth. Good he must of caught on.

 I keep my distance and waiting for the announcer’s call, I just gotta dodge until I get the okay. Nero rushes in recklessly I try to anticipate his movement, but he disappears completely and reappears inches from me. He knocks me into the gate again this time pinning me against it as it cuts into me.

 

“Attention ladies, gentlemen, and fighters it seems one of our contestants have been cheating-”

 

“OH!!! YA’ FUCKING THINK?!!” I interrupt the announcer.

 

“And as such this match has been declared null and void.” the crowd boos, and Nero backs up dropping me to the mat.

 

“HOLD UP!” I shout as loud as I can muster while struggling to my feet. The crowd quiets. My mind is hazy but I know I can’t let this match end like this, I said i’d finish this!

 

“How about instead of canceling, we turn this into real rumble? No holds barred, weapons, aura, anything goes! Just two men staking their lives in a bitter fight to the end!” I ramble out desperately. Nero raises his eyebrow and smirks the crowd erupts in approval.

 

Junior shouts in over the loud speakers. “ARE YOU INSANE?!!!”

 

“Maybe.” I call back.

 

“Gimme that! Get outta here, ya’ jackass!” along with the distinct sounds of the announcer struggle to regain control of his mic plays for the audience.

 

“Attention people: we have Vincent Gregorio calling over the phone! Now let’s here what he has to say.” The female commentator baits the audience.

 

“Well, if both our lovely contestants are willing, I see no reason to keep such an awesome spectacle from our adoring public’s eyes.” A deep, heavily accented and slightly garbled voice indulges the crowd.

 

“Well you heard it here first folks! So, Fighters are you READY! TO! RUMBLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” A hammy performance as usual

 

“Obviously.” I replied

 

“HA! I will crush this idiot boy!!!” Nero answers unaware of the hole he’s digging.

 

“Then, FIGHT!” The starting bell punctuates the announcer.

 

“You have made a big mistake child.” The big man goads calmly walking into range.

 

 Maybe, I think, activating my semblance. My body goes feels every hit I took but far worse but that doesn’t matter. The world slows and I feel like I just woke up from a refreshing nap. I dash into Nero’s path before he can get in close. He seems surprised, I smile as I throw a punch at his chin. He just barely dodges with a teleport he reappears maybe three or four feet back. Not too shy about using that semblance now, huh? I rush him down again but this time he’s too alert and teleports and counters easily. I back off to the fence, and quickly pull off some if the metal sticking out.

 Nero starts to run toward me, and I retaliate by throwing the shards at and around him. He teleports around them pretty masterfully, but why wouldn’t he just teleport directly to me through them? I dodge under his feet grabbing his ankle as I slide under him. I pull his foot up as I rise up, and as he topples over forward I ready a kick to collide with his stomach. He disappears and reappears a few feet away, but noteably he’s falling and still in the same position. I jump in before he can recover.

 I land a hard kick across his face, but before I can land another he blinks away. I scan the arena for him only to realize too late he reappeared above me. his weight carries him fast. I manage to slip mostly out of the way but he lands on my right leg. he’s too heavy to pull my leg completely away from, so I deliver a couple of kicks to his ribs-which he tanks- and pull my right leg free to the thigh and kneecap.

 With him on top of me and my left leg and right joint free I make to mount Nero. I throw a couple of punches to his body and head to distract him while I maneuver into place. I slam my ass right down on his back and begin to throw a flurry of haymakers to the back of his head. I can practically fell his aura draining with each hit, and oh don’t it feel good! In a swift motion he raises his left arm to me and teleports it behind my chin and throws me with a spin releasing my leg as he does.

 He throws me a clear four or five feet, and by the time get to my feet he’s already standing. His smug smile has vanished and now he just looks kinda pissed. At almost the exact same time we blitz toward each other, and meet in the center of the ring. Both his hands are guarding his face as he reaches me. I jump into the air nearly hitting the top of the cage. Then i bring my fist down in an inverted u shape aiming for his head. I push off the ceiling with my legs increasing my speed. Nero teleport away I, and i slam my fist into the mat sending ripples through the ring.

 The Altlesian giant reappears behind me, and I know this because i hear him scream: a deep guttural, kind of terrifying, bellow. I lunge forward into a roll and turn to see Nero kneeling and screaming his feet obscured by blood. I take the opportunity to rush him down with a flying knee to the face. My knee smashes into his face sending him tumbling backwards. I land where he was kneeling and feel weird bumps under the mat. I cringe as I realize what happened and inspect Nero’s mangled feet.

 Nero's aura seemingly tries to stop the bleeding and close up the wounds, but it’s obviously far too depleted to get the job done. Nero, nearly in tears, is holding his ankles and screaming as his aura fades. I wait for the announcers call the match.

 

“Oh? And what’s this? Is Zero just going to wait for his opponent to bleed out?! Truly sadistic!!” The female announcer prods. “Or? Could it be? Is he waiting for us to declare a victor in the death match he called for, when both fighters are still alive?! How utterly naive! It’s heart-wrenching!” She concludes sardonically.

 

“What?” I demand.

 

“Well, you said it yourself my dear boy. This here is ‘two men staking their lives in a bitter fight to the end’, and seeing as how no end has come to neither you nor your opponent, we in good conscience, can’t call this match.” The male announcer smugly explains.

 

“You should really learn to chose your words more carefully, my glorious fool. Either way, you you will end your opponent or we declare this match inconclusive.” the female announcer says backed by the audience.

 

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!” Junior yells.

 

A wave of guilt and shame washes over me. I swallow hard, understanding the situation completely and briskly walk to the wailing man. I close my eyes and slam my hands with all the force I can muster into Nero’s throat. I feel his adam’s apple depress and lodge into his throat crushing his windpipe. I open my eyes and see Nero gasping and struggling for air with tears in his eyes. I wince and squeeze harder. I hear faint pained grunts and gasps and feel him flail and smack me meekly. I spend thirteen minutes crushing Nero’s throat till he finally fades away and the fight is called. I pull my hands away from his throat and feel an icy grip envelope my heart and weight in my stomach-

                                                               

                       

                                                                                    **< The world goes blank>**

 


	3. The Morning After.

  ** _COLD... COLD INKY BLACK ABYSS. HEART SLOWS. SKIN BURNS. BREATH. CAN'T BREATHE. EYES HURT, CHEST HURTS._**

 

 The pitter-patter of rain falling against a metal roof echoes into a dingy metal room. The room houses: a beat up couch currently being used as a bed, two dimly glowing crystals one red, one blue, and an extremely out of place ornate sink attached to nothing. A hand runs it’s way down the corrugated steel lining the walls, and slowly comes to grasp the bridge of it’s owner’s nose.

 

Zero blinks and winces stifling his guilt to ponder how he got back home. He staggers shakily to his sink and grabs both the crystals conveniently placed on the sink. The boy raises the crystals over his head in tandem. He focuses for a half second and the crystals spring to life creating ice and fire, which becomes very cold water and pools in the sink. Zero shoves his head in the freshly made water and holds it there for ten seconds.

 

“WHOOOOO!” he shouts!

 

 He puts down the ice crystal and lights up the fire just enough to see the room clearly. Zero walks to the entrance noticing a plastic packet tapped to the wall. He opens it revealing a uniform: black slacks, white dress shirt, black vest, red tie, sour gummy worms, a small stack of lien adout enough for three moderately priced meals, and an index card with an address and time written on it. Thanks man, he thinks removing the sweat pants and robe he wore last night.

 He slips on the slacks placing the fire crystal in the front pocket. Then he stands up and lifts the couch reviling a briefcase. Popping it open reveals a porno mag, mouthwash, and spray deodorant. He grabs the mouthwash uncaps and takes a swig. He reseals the container swishing the fluid in his mouth. He sprays his chest and armpits then closes the briefcase and slides it under the couch. He walks over to the sink unstops it releasing the water and spits into the emptying into the bowl. He finishes dressing and heads for the exit. He closes the shipping crate’s doors and digs into the dirt producing a deformed rusty chain. He loops the chain around the doors’ handles as to bind them into place. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out the fire crystal and welds the chain together locking the doors.

 


	4. Another Day, Another Problem.

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!**  

 Three quick raps at a discrete ally-side door alerting a sleeping man on he other side. The man opens the door to a well dressed teenager tapping his foot impatiently. The man, a bull faunus, in his early thirties one of his horns removed cleanly the other heavily damaged leaving only three or four inches of jagged edge.

 

“Hello sir, my name is Zero how may i assist you this morning?” He says mustering up a pleasant smile.

 

“Uh, uh.. ar-are you the guy?” the faunus says fiddling his hands nervously eyes darting all around the alleyway.

 

“...Yes, I am.” Zero says suppressing a sarcastic comment.

 

“Then get in here.” The faunus says quickly ushering Zero into the building.”One of the tenants’-”

 

**CRASH!!!**

 Zero stumbles entering the doorway slamming into the ground only barely breaking his fall with his left hand. He lifts himself back up blushing slightly. “Ahem. You were saying something about a tenant?”

 

 The faunus closes the door behind the young man and rolls his eyes as he does. “Yes, the child of one of our tenants seems to have... ah, how do I put this... seems to be, possessed?” The Bull-Man offers evasively.

 

“Excuse me?” Zero retorts obviously irritated.

 

“Yes, I know how it sounds, but I don’t know how else to describe it, please she’s just uptairs.” the faunus desperately pleads.

 

“Look man, i’ll have a look because you seem shaken up. I’ll try help you out with whatever’s actually happening-because that’s my job-but I swear to fuck if this is a prank or some shit I can’t be held responsible for what I do to you.” Zeros states holding the bridge of his nose dropping the polite facade entirely.

 

“Yes, of course she’s just this way sir.” The faunus leads the way up a stairwell in the back of the room.

 

 Zero finds the room on the third floor at the end of the hall. The wood is old and rotten creaking with each step. The hallway reeks of age and disrepair. The air is thick with the scent of mildew and shit. Zero covers his mouth and nose gagging at the smell.

 

“She’s just in here.” The man points at a door rotting, damaged, and black. “I’ll wait outside, if that’s okay with you?” The faunus asks now sweating.

 

 Zero nods places his left hand in his pocket with his dust crystal and reaches for the door knob with his right. He cracks his neck and bursts in the room slamming the door open. The room is black as pitch as if he walked into a starless space, the air hangs still and cold. An unnerving chill runs up and down Zero’s spine.

 The young man grits his teeth walks forward and pulls the crystal from his pocket channeling its energy. The crystal burns bright lighting up red, but the room remains just as dark somehow unaffected by the light. Zero crouches down and taps the burning crystal to the ground, the floor lights up in a blaze but the shadows prevail. He stomps out the fire before it can spread.

 

“Hello?!” the boy calls out scanning the room for anything: any movement, any change, any shifting in the darkness.

 

**Tckt Tckt Tckt Tckt**

 A soft rapping like nails on a hard wood floor sound off behind Zero. He eyes the area, and begins to approach the origin of the noise. The room flashes in a brilliantly white light blinding the youth. As his vision returns he sees ten or twelve purple wailing amorphous humanoid shadow figures writhing in agony. The figures meekly surround him reaching reforming and deforming hands out.

 

“Why, why...why” The ever shifting shades speak in a torrent of disparate chidlike voices.

 

“No...” The boy cries in sorrow.

 The fire crystal comes to life in an explosive burst and a stream of fire slithers it’s way down his arm to his back and into the other fist. In a spinning double lariat Zero attacks the phantoms recklessly throwing flames everywhere.

 

“Eeeep!” A high pitched squeal comes from the left side of the room.

 

 The shadows and the black void shatter like glass revealing a dingy room lit a blaze, a lump in a bed, and a little girl crying into her knees. Zero’s eyes hone in on the area scrutinizing the girl. He takes three deep breaths, recalls the flames around the room into the crystal, and approaches the bed. Zero keeps his eyes on the child sobbing in a corner opposite the bed.

 Closing in, a horrid stench of decay rears itself seemingly out of nowhere. The boy holds his nose with one hand and reaches for the sheets covering the lump in the bed despite an overwhelming feeling he shouldn’t. With a swift jerking motion he rips the covers off the lump in the bed, and with half detached sorrow half unsuprised realization he sees a corpse of a beautiful young woman, twenty maybe twenty-five.

 

“I guess that’s just how it goes...” Zero whispers under his breath turning his focus wholly to the child. “Hey, kiddo.” He says attempting to catch her attention. The girl seemingly never even heard his call continues crying.

 

 Zero sighs and begins walking to her coming to a stop at her side. He turns around leaning against the wall to her left and slides down into a sitting position next to her. Her stone blue eyes were sunken black and red with irritation. Her hair, a mop of purple, wet at the tips with tears and snot, stuck to her gaunt emaciated cheeks.

 

“So, uhm… kiddo that, uh, illusion that was you right?” Zero says warily his apprehension heavy in his voice. The boy pushes both palms into his forehead and stars directly at the floor. Seconds pass like years as Zero focuses a burning gaze on the ground.

 

“Hey so,- uh- I gonna need to get you outta here. I mean, you couldn’t really stay here anymore right?” Zero says softening his tone.

 

 Zero waits a while before getting up hoping in vain for the girl give some sort of reaction a lull in her tears, a nod, anything. He stands and walks squarely in front of her giving her one last chance to respond. Sighing deeply he bends down to pick her up, but as soon as he grabs her she belts out a bloodcurdling roar. His vision unfocuses and his balance goes haywire causing him slam into ground instinctively he clutches his ears.

 

“What the FUCK was that?!” He growls pounding his fist against the floor. “Urp” Zero gags rushing to cover his mouth. His balance still screwy Zero wobbles to his feet holding his stomach trying not to lose his lunch.

 

“g-go… Go away.” A raspy quiet voice softly screams between the sobs. “Leave us alone.”

 

“Kid! I get that you’re having a bad time, but if you don’t knock this shit off I'm gonna solve this little conundrum the easy way right fuckin' quick.” Zero pulls himself into a kneeling position huffing and puffing.

 

 After a few seconds the wave of disorientation passes and the boy steadies himself. The girl slowly brings herself to her feet while futility attempting to stifle her tears. With reckless abandon she strides forward aiming a kick at the kneeling adolescent. With blurry teary eyed vision she kicks hard and very wide right losing her balance. Zero, seeing her whiff, rushes forward ramming his open palm under her chin and pinning her to the ground making sure to keep her mouth closed. After a few ineffective attempts at struggling to either get free or scream she holds still digging her overgrown nails into Zero’s hand.

 

“Alright! Listen to me, and calm the fuck down!” Zero yells staring down the girl. “”I’m going to break it down real simple and real slow. My job here is to deal with the shit you’re wreaking, and how is up to my discretion. So I suggest you work with me rather than against me… Okay?!”

 

 Zero loosens his pin, just a bit, to gauge her reaction hoping she’s calmed down enough to see reason. After his grip loosens… nothing so he loosens a little more and, still nothing. He repeats the process till she’s completely free from his grasp, her tears still flow yet she remains silent and still.

 

“You ready to work with me now?” He sits cross legged placing his hands on his knees.

 

“Hey, uh, Sir could you call junior and tell him to send Theresa over?” Zero shouts at the door.

 

“E-excuse me but does this mean y-you’ve completed the job?” The bull faunus calls from down the hall.

 

“More or less.” Zero replies calmly. “You might want to stay in hall though, at least until the cleaner gets here.”

 

“Oh, uh. Yesser i’ll get right on that.” The bull man says hesitantly.

 


	5. The World Laid Bare

**============================About Forty-Five Minutes of Awkwardness Later==========================**

 

“Yes last door in the hall.” The faunus’s milquetoast voice breaks the silence accompanied by heavy footsteps and jingling metal.

 

A tall pale woman in a blackish gray lab coat red band t-shirt and black denim jeans, struts into the room carrying a large, and very heavy looking, trunk with one hand. She finds little girl kneeling at the foot of a decrepit four post bed that’s been draped with a sheet and a teen-aged boy fidgeting with his hair. She casually walks up to Zero who, as soon as he notices her walking toward him, looks her in the eye and nods.

 

Standing shoulder to shoulder she whispers “So, what’s the story with the kid and the corpse?”

 

“Eloquent, very eloquent.” He whispers back “Anyway, it’s a rough one, her mother’s the one in the bed. Apparently she caught something, but couldn’t find doc a within her price range willing to ' _Treat an animal_ ', their words not mine. The landlord must’ve come in here looking to get the rent or whatever, but The Kid’s semblance seems to be something like fear manipulation and you can imagine how that went.”

 

“Goddamn… so, what’s the gameplan?” She asks quietly.

 

“Well, me and the kid’ve come to an agreement of sorts. First off, she wants her mother to have a proper funeral and cremation. Second, she me to find her father, and lastly she wants a safe place to stay until I find him.”

 

“Holy shit dude, do you even have an inkling of an idea to track down her father?” She says appalled and struggling to keep her voice down. “Like, is he even’s in Vale anymore? You’re dumbass! Good luck with that.” She finishes face palming and holding in a laugh.

 

“I-I uh… I get it.” Zero giving a look half way between a frown and a knowing smile."Hey uh Vishy could ya' ride my ass a little later, maybe?"

 

“Oohh man, dude you fucked up, and i aint got the gumption to hold back the rodeo on your dumbass!” She jokes back. “Ya’ know dumb luck and grit won’t get you through everything, so you might want to be a bit more selective about when to honor your code or whatever you like to call it.”

 

“I already said I would," Zero begins.  "and when I say I’ll do something. It. Gets. Fucking. Done!” Zero and Vishy say in unison.

 

“Aside from how weird and dumb I find your fucking motto thingy. What are you gonna do if… well ya know” She gesticulates her hands in a circular motion. “you find out the dad’s… well” She points her thumb over her shoulder, winking, and makes a clicking sound with her tongue.

 

“Oh. Uh, cross that bridge when or if i come to it I guess.” he says shrugging.

 

The lady crouches down to eye level with the poor girl.

 

“Alright, whatever anyways. Hey there uh...” she jabs Zero in the ribs with her elbow. His eyes wide with realization.

 

“Clover.” The girl says. Zero sighs releasing his anxiety.

 

“Clover,” Vishy glares at Zero. “my name’s Zlovishy, I know we’ve been talking around you a lot, but i’m here to help you and this guy out with your mother’s uh um immediate needs.” Zlovishy stands up and nods toward Zero and Clover.

 

“Yeah, so you’re gonna want to get the kid outta here.” She concludes slipping on some gloves a surgical mask, and walking to the bed.

 

He nods and begins ushering the hesitant child out of the room.

 


	6. Love and Lucky

 Zero and the girl walk side by side on an empty street in downtown Vale. Zero deliberately slows his pace to keep in time with the small stumbling malnourished girl.

 

“Where are we going?” The little girl asks in a dry raspy voice.

 

“You’re probably hungry, yeah?” Zero offers digging around in his pockets.

 

“Um, y-yes.” She answers meekly.

 

“So, I know a place less than a block around here, that okay with you?” He continues his line of inquiry.

 

“Ye-yeah...” She gives another strained response, the faint suggestion of a smile hinted on her face.

 

 Zero leads the girl to a low-end back alley restaurant, complete with cheap looking metal folding chairs and tables. The takes in the sight as a wonderful scent catches her nose.

 

“Oh. Uh hey. I should’ve asked earlier, but when was the last time you ate?” Zero asks scratching his head.

 

“Yesterday. Dry oatmeal.” She says holding her stomach.

 

“Alright. Well, in that case you should be fine. Order whatever you want.”he says gesturing to a table. “Rose, can I get a menu over here?”

 

 She nods and takes a seat at the table, and Zero takes his after her. A woman in bright purple and white frilly dress walks casually to the table and eyes up Zero, then the kid and places a single menu in the middle. Zero slides it over to the kid avoiding looking even in the server’s general direction.

 

“So, _You’re_ not gonna order?” The server quirks her eyebrow

 

“Where’s Rose?” Zero says turning to face 180° away from her.

 

“Out.” She says harshly “I’ll come back to get your order, but for now what can I getcha to drink Darling?” Her tone now, sweet as can be.

 

“Uh, ginger root cola?” She asks more than states.

 

“Sure thing, Hun. I'll be back in a minute with your drink.”The server says with a smile, and walks away.

 

 The girl pulls in the menu and starts looking it over as Zero tugs his hair, taps his foot, and stares at the red and white checkerboard patterned table cloth. Zero’s tapping speeds up as if trying to goad a response from the kid but receives none.

 

“Ahem. So, um, about finding your dad… do you know or have anything useful? ... Like his name? maybe a photo? Anything like that?” Zero asks breaking the silence.

 

 She nods, reaches into her pocket and produces a photo, and hands it to Zero. The photo displays The girl her mother and a man smiling cheerfully. Her mother was stunningly beautiful light-ish dark complexion, hair cut short prominently showing off her lupine ears obvious scars dotted her face and arms. She also displayed a tattoo on her shoulder an oddly shaped flower covering branded skin.

 The father, young, skinny and delicate, average to tall, bearing a shock of golden hair, droopy green eyes slightly obscured by thin circle lens wire frame bifocals, sharp angular chin, nose, and ears.

 

“His name is Veros Arc...” She says solemnly “He said he loved us…”

 

“When’d he leave?” Zero says somberly

 

“Two years ago... when I was six… just before my birthday.” She says tearing up.

 

“I see….” He says awkwardly trying to transition into his next question. “What’s your mother’s full name?”

 

“Amythyst, mom didn’t have a last name...” Clover answers through her sniffling.

 


	7. The Other Half

 Back on the street the mismatched pair, lead by Zero, skirt their way past some alleys and backstreets to a pristine area in residential Vale the unofficial “Aristocrat’s Row”. The area was a relic from the ancient days of Vale’s founding by seven royal families four of which had been “torn up from the roots” meaning that three royal families had allied themselves with commoners and refugees in order to survive. In the present day the Rosevell family has been sticking their fingers in the technology pie, specifically in the development of portable communications. In a surprising boom they have been making money hand over fist with they’re “Scroll”s. “A phone on the go!” as the marketing slogan put it.

 

“Where are we going now?” Clover says finishing off a pack of generic brand sour gummy worms.

 

“I need to find somewhere for you to stay while I look for your father.” He ends his sentence expecting a question. Instead the girl stares nervously at the sidewalk walking even slower.

 

“W-why?” she mutters quietly under her breath. “Where?” she says more loudly.

 

“We’re going to see some friends of mine who owe me a favor, they have kids so they might have some clothes your size.” He says plainly.

 

 With a nod she picks up her pace to match his, and after walking few blocks they arrive at a fairly large house sandwiched between two even taller, larger houses. The girl’s eyes widen as if staring at a flawless diamond. Zero walks confidently towards the extravagant house’s front door and beckons the girl to do the same.

 With three quick loud successive Zero knocks at the door. After a few moments with a loud unlocking the door sweeps open revealing a beautiful foyer and two schlubbly dressed twin boys. Long golden hair covers their eyes and they wear red pj’s far too baggy for them.

 

“Zerpy!” They shout in unison hopping up and down excitedly.

 

“Hey ya’ little monsters, are your parents home? Also, don’t call me ‘Zerpy’!” Hey says straining a smile.

 

“Mom!” The left twin calls.

“Dad!” The one on the right shouts, again in unison.

 

“Coming, Cole.” A lady’s voice sounds back.

“What’s up, Kiddo?” A man’s voice replies, both of them reverberation close to the front door.

 

“That guy you hate’s here!” The twin on the left, Cole, smirks mischievously.

 

“Which one?” Their parents reply together heading to the door.

 

“Oh, Zero. We don’t hate Zero! We hate what Zero’s work, those are two very different things Cole.” She rustles the gremlin’s hair as he sticks his tongue out at Zero, his brother punches him on the shoulder.

 

“Heya, Zero… and-uh and child… oh my god are you a daddy Zerpy?!” The father asks confused and a little excited.

 

“Oh SHIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!” The mother yells.

 

“wha-i-no-she-it’s!!” He blurts out a mush of half formed words trying to clarify the misunderstanding. “NO SHE’S NOT MY DAUGHTER! I mean, come on she doesn’t even look like me! And STOP CALLING ME ZERPY!!”

 

“You could’ve adopted...” He says sheepishly.

 

“But, come on Zerpy’s so much more fun than ‘Zero’ and besides you only have yourself to blame for the nickname.”

 

Zero gives an exasperated sigh “fine whatever,” He says sullenly. “Anyways i’d like to introduce you guys to Clover.”

 

“Nice to meetcha Clover, i’m Fritz and this is my wife Violet, our sons Cole and Zephyr ” He says gesturing first to himself then his wife, who smiles in return, and finally their children who were running back inside.

 

“Hi there little one.” Violet waves Clover stares back blankly.

 

“Well, anywho I'm gonna need you guys, and stay with me here since you do owe me and all, to look after the kid while I go find here father.” Zero says giving his best “winning smile” and gesticulating in excess.

 

Violet and Fritz exchange a look.

 

“You just need to look after her for, like max two weeks. And you guys did say you would help me out, and I haven’t-”

 

“Yeah, alright.” Violet accepts lackadaisically, almost matter-of-factly.

 

Zero gapes back still smiling, but his eyes belie a sense of disappointment in the ease of which he obtained the victory. Clover affixes her gaze to the ground.

 

“Oh, uh, really? I mean, great thanks!” Zero turns to his temporary ward. “Ya’ hear that? you’re gonna be livin’ the sweet life until I find you’re dad!”

 

“thank you.” the girls says emotionlessly.

 

“Well, what are we doin’ standing around here? Come on inside.” Fritz says cheerfully.

 

Zero nods at Clover and sticks his thumb out towards the door and turns around making to walk away.

 

“Zerpy! Hey where’re ya’ going?” Violet barks out. “You too! Come on inside, we got something for you!”

 

“Uh… alright.” Zero says apprehensively following his benefactors.

 

 Zero fiddles with a black glass rectangle dimensions around 5 x 3 x ½ inches. He presses a button on the side and the screen lights up display a factory generic lock screen. Pressing his finger unto a specified spot on the screen the display unlocks and a new, unique, screen saver appears a picture of Zero, Clover, and the Rosevell family. A faint smile creeps across his face for a second then he navigates to the gallery. Pulling up an image he had taken of Clover’s family photo Zero inspects Verdoss’ clothes, his hair, and grasping at straw trying to find a lead.

 Zero closes his eyes and begins erratically tapping his temple with his middle finger. With a jerk and pop his back straightens and his eyes shoot open, “’Rotten’ Torchwick!” he says smiling wryly. Still smiling Zero strides to the westside of Vale more specifically the docking yards.


	8. A Debt Incurred

                                                                          **Warehouse 13 B of the Merryweather shipping yard.**

 

 Three figures, wearing biker helmets and wildly colorful audacious suits, aim assault rifles at ginger in a black tank top and well worn black jeans and a short woman in a gray (Formerly white) button up jacket and blue ripped jean shorts.

 

“Neo, if you’d please.” The young man, seventeen to twenty, politely request the young woman with tri-colored Pink, brown, and streaky white hair.

 

 Neo nods with a sinister smile and brings an umbrella in front of her, which she readies with a flourish. The aggressors waste no time and launch a volley at their targets only for the bullets to pass harmlessly through their visage. One of the figures holds up a balled fist instructing the others to stop firing. The illusions start laughing, or at least miming laughter, at the flustered figures. One of the attackers spasm as if being hit with a flurry of unseen blows and drop to the floor. The illusory decoys grin wildly.

 

 The seeming leader’s helmet pops off, revealing a young man pale skin short blue hair and glowing red eyes, followed by a flurry of gunshots aimed squarely at the boy’s head. As soon as his aura breaks a swift invisible strike to the jaw puts him on the concrete floor of the warehouse. With a shimmer the illusion dissipates and the last goon finds themselves with a blade at the throat and a gun to the back of their spine.

 

“Drop the gun honey, or else you’ll end up like your partners over there… but worse!” The ginger enunciates theatrically and just a bit too unpolished to which Neo rolls her eyes.

 

The figure complies shockingly fast nearly throwing the rifle to the floor while whimpering out. “Aw Gah PLEASE DON’T KILLME!!!”

 

“Okay.” The red head says signaling his lovely assistant who begins trusting multiple times into her victims stomach causing their aura to shimmer and break. Stealing the opportunity he slams the but of his pistol into the base of the target’s neck knocking them out.

 

* * *

 

 

 With slump in his step Zero walks down the docking yard’s warehouse rows scanning their sides for identification.

 

“Warehouse thirteen right?” Zero punctuates with a sigh and a little groan.

 

Zero walks up to a dilapidated abandoned warehouse workers entrance and gives a hardy knock. “Yo, Roman! Open up!”

 

 The door opens smoothly revealing Neo who greets the young man with a smile and a bow. Zero smiles and nods to which she points inside ushering him into the shoddy warehouse. The warehouse is dark as pitch and hot as hell. The air reeks of sweat, fish, blood, decomposition and hot garbage. Zero gags upon entering and Neo giggles quietly.

 

“Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! To what do we owe the pleasure good man?!” “Rotten” Roman Torchwick shouts ostentatiously.

 

Zero rolls his eyes and runs his hand through his hair, and says “Heyyy, Roman… So I need help.” He sighs and reluctantly continues expecting, hoping for an interjection. “I need to find someone, so if you could help me with that i’d owe ya’ one. And maybe I can’t pay you right away, but i’d be willing to do just about anything ya’know?”

 

“Anything you say, hmm?” Roman flaunts

 

“Uhh, yeah sure...” Zero says hoping for something not too bad

 

“Well, as it so happens it seems a rather interesting job’s fallen directly into our lap. Lucky you.” Roman says smugly. “But before we get to our job for you let’s discuss your job for us. After all, we wanna make sure both of us get out what we’re putting in get it?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. You wanna know whether or not you’ll be happy with one job.” Zero says cynically. “Anyway, I need you to help me find someone...” he says making a lot of hand motions.

 

“And...” Roman says coaxing out more information.

 

“And, I want you to tell me where they are…?” Zero clarifies confused.

 

“Annnd?” The ginger goads expectantly.

 

“And, that’s all.” Comes the would be customer’s reply

 

“Oh… okay. Yeah we can do that... So watcha got? Cause we can work with just a name and a general description, but if you got more to work off of it’ll certainly make the job easier, not to mention faster.” Roman says slipping into a more professional tone.

 

“I have a picture, a name, and I know he was living in vale until two years ago.” Zero says suturing together the bits and pieces he was able to salvage from Clover.

 

“Well, we’ve done more with less and after completing this job we’ll be happy to get right on that. So we got a deal here?” Roman says confidently.

 

“I guess you’re not going to tell me what the gig is until after I agree?”

 

“Yep. It’s best for both of us if we keep this on a need to know basis. it’s just good business ya’know?” Roman smirks.

 

“Yeah, sure. I’m in tell me what _I need to know_ then.” Zero says impatiently.

 

“Well, huh, didn’t expect you to agree so easily. Anyway i’m gonna need you to smoke out a rat specifically a rat outside the kingdom’s walls.”

 


	9. A Search Anew

 Just outside the walls of vale, a drainage pipe pokes out of the huge seemingly impossible tall walls. Clouds swirl and darkening the already bleak landscape. Five figures in rain coats stand looking on from inside the pipe.

 

“Ooohhhhhhh, shit. fuck. goddamn it.” Zero mutters under his breath riding on top of some sort of black vehicle.

 

“Now, now, I hope you aren’t getting cold feet now otherwise we’ll just have to charge you for this juicy info some other way… a less savory way… a more explicit way, a more-” Roman is interrupted

 

“Fuck! I get it dude. You-” Zero

 

“I’m talking about pimping you out!” Roman shouts proudly(?).

 

“Ugrh, I told you I got it! Anyways, I’m not backing down.” Zero says annoyed.

 

“I’m just sayin’ buddy. Just remember you’re gonna want to keep a low profile out there. Between the bandits, the grim, and our target, everyone and everything is going to be trying to kill you, eat you. or rob you... also I forgot to ask but you don’t have a scroll right?”

 

“Actually, I do!” Zero smugly produces the device from his pocket.

 

“Good, then if you can extract the information yourself you don’t have to bother bring our guy in. instead you can just give us a ring on our hardline. Also, i’ll input the target’s last known location in it’s T.P.S., so when you get to a town if you’ve gotten lost you’ll know where you are and where to go.”

 

Alright, so if you’re not back within the week we’ll assume you’re dead or AWOL.” Roman waves and Neo gives a thumbs up.

 

“You’d better get back here in one piece, ya hear?!” Junior points.

 

“Uh, yeah, don’t get yourself killed!” Zlovishy pats zero on the back.

 

With a nod Zero says. “I’ll see you soon!”

 

In time with the newly falling rain, lightning strikes, and thunder cracks Zero revvs the engine on a beat up rusty ATV and rides out of the pipe.

 

“… So you think he’ll come back when he realizes he left his briefcase with his clothes and money in it?” Zlovishy ponders out loud.

 

“Wait, what?!” Torchwick says confused.

 

“Yeah, it’s right there.” Vishy points to a well worn briefcase on the ground near where the ATV was.

 

Neo laughs soundlessly maniacal, Junior facepalms, Roman grabs the bridge of his nose, and Vishy gives a wry smile with a shrug.

 


	10. Road Troubles

**A FEW HOURS LATER**

 

 Driving along an ill used dirt road, well more a foot path than road, Zero feels a rumble in his stomach. In response the boy slides his hand into a saddlebag crudely fashioned the vehicle just in front of his leg. Much to his dismay he finds an empty loose plastic bag on the inside. He sighs and pulls the empty bag out and tosses it behind him. He scans the path looking for a safe place to park and search his bag for some snacks.

 He finds a man made clearing and shifts into neutral only to find his saddlebag full of trash. His eyes widen and mouth clenches an icy chill rushes over him as he hastily checks the other side-bag. Nothing, his heart practically stops as he pushes his hands into his forehead and leans his head back. Before he musters a curse a gunshot rings out and hole appears in his in his forearm.

 A bright hot flash of pain blasts through the boy as he throws himself to the ground positioning against the vehicle to shield him from any more incoming fire.

 

“WHYYYYYYYYYYY” Zero shouts with a whine.

 

 Another gunshot rings out directly opposed to the prior and Zero’s left leg gives out as a shock of pain bursts from the back of his pelvis.

 

“ARGAHHHH!!” He involuntarily shrieks. “WHO SHOOTS SOMEONE IN THE ASS!!!???”

 

 As the bleeding wound on the forearm stitches itself back together leaving behind a slight scar Zero grabs a large pistol from the holster at his side. Giving a second to aim at the second shooter he squeezes the trigger, and a boom louder than thunder surges through the forest. Zero’s arm reels back with the forces of the blast nearly dislocating if not for his experience with the weapon.

 

“UURRUUHGHRHUGH” A pained cry comes from somewhere in the woods.

 

“Johnny!” The voice of the first shooter.

 

 His second wound begins to heal slowly pushing the bullet out causing immense pain. With a grunt Zero digs the bullet out with his fingers. Gritting his teeth and giving a second for the pain to subside he reaches to the belt of the holster and pulls out a shell-like bullet from the bandoleer holster hybrid around his waist. With a swift pull of the trigger guard a spent cartridge flies out of the back of the pistol’s barrel. Quickly Zero slides the new round into place and slams the barrel down ready for another shot.

 

“Just give up asshole!” Presumably the first shooter yells.

 

 In reply Zero aims his gun using the seat of the ATV as a support and fires in the general direction. Another thunderous boom but no cry afterward, instead a massive razor clawed gauntlet attached to a chain comes hurling towards the ATV. The weapon's four nearly foot long blades connect with the vehicle’s engine block burring themselves to the knuckle and sticking in place. With a winding sound the gauntlet, and inevitably Roman's ATV, begins reeling back much like a fish on a hook being viciously jerked from the water. With his cover moving ever closer to the treeline Zero loads another round and pushes against the vehicle quickening it’s course.

 With a vengeance the vehicle hurtles towards the source of the weapon’s chain with startling force. With a grunt and a yank the gauntlet comes loose prematurely receding into forest. Predicting the end of the weapons path Zero aims at it’s presumed destination and fires. His semi-blind fire is met with a small success, the distinct sound of a bullet ricocheting off metal rings through the impromptu battleground. In a flurry of rustling leaves the bandit jumps clear over the treeline using the ATV as a boost.

 She comes into view: a tall, tan, light blue almost gray hair, golden eyes, fairly muscular, plentifully scarred young woman. Her weapon comprising of three major components. first was the frame a bare bones metal pipe and rod affair which rested on her neck and shoulders and draped down just to her biceps ending in open tubes for the gauntlets to connect and fire from. Second, was the reel system, which was really just a chain looped through the frame's bars attaching the gauntlets to two a fast action winches fashioned to either hip. And last but not least, the twin four bladed gauntlets which were uniformly beautiful in design and function starkly contrasting with the obviously after market attachments: I.e. crude makeshift frame, and firing system.

 She lands with a solid kick striking Zero mid reload, sending him toppling backwards and flat to the ground. Taking the brunt of the women’s attack in the stomach a volley of spit shoots from his mouth as he hits the dirt.

 Two deft punches from the bandit put her gauntlets’ blades through his shoulders into the dirt pinning him to the ground. With a shrill screech and a jet of blood Zero’s vision instantly fades away.

 


	11. Revolt of a Kind

 Waking with a start Zero finds himself bound, from wrist to wrist with manacles, in a dimly lit cell or cage. Giving a second for his eyes to adjust to the low light availability, he begins scanning his confinement and it’s surroundings for anything that may help him understand and plan around his current situation. Outside the cage: Rough uneven rocky walls rounding into the considerably smoother ceiling and floor, shitty tents and cots along with half functioning dust lamps strewn about the fairly wide interior.

 Focusing his hearing he begins picking up scraps of conversations.

 

“Now! We need to do it know!”

“It’s over we gotta run.”

“You stick with me got it?! Like fucking glue! We’re getting out of this.”

 

“Well, that’s disconcerting.” Zero mutters

 

Zero ponders his situation, and _more importantly_ , how to get out of it for a few moments. “Oh this is gonna **_suuuuuuck_**.” he concludes.

 

 Zero begins slamming his left hand into the rocky ground as hard as he can. With each strike bones begin chipping, dislocating, or breaking causing cuts and lacerations along with searing pain. With a deep breath he pulls his mangled left hand through the manacles. Zero barely manages to pull free be fore his hand twists and corrects it’s self healing into a nearly perfectly barring some scarring.

 Using his newly freed hands zero pulls himself flush with the metal bars. He slides his left hand over the cage door searching for some sort of latch or handle or locking system. He finds a the handle locked with a combination lock with four rotating dials. He looks left then right and begins fiddling with the lock idly guessing and turning dials on a whim.

 

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” a loud voice echoes all throughout the cave.

 

“Duyah!!! Nothing!” Zero reels back in shock only to find no one there. “oh.”

 

“GARHHHHGGGAAAHHH!!!” the same voice cries out in pain.

 

“GO! GO! GO!” Maybe one of the voices from earlier.

 

 And as if the pained yelp was lightning what ensued was the thunder, a cacophony of gunfire lighting up the cave in random bursts, striking metal causing sparks, and screaming. Zero slinks into a dark corner of his cage and waits for a chance to strike. Nearly thirty minutes later the cave is silent. Zero waits another minute or two then shrugs and shouts.

 

“IF YOU LET ME, OUT I’LL HELP YOU OUT!”

 

 Zero hides his hands and bonds behind his back and steps away from the door. After a few seconds he begins hearing faint pants and grunts, and in between those a gargling splorching sound. The source of the noise drags itself into view a bandit bloodied and missing an arm and both legs .

 

“Please (Hrgh) Help… Her.” He says through gritted teeth.

 

“Uh, sure tell me the code” Zero answer quickly.

 

“R-O...-A-R.” The bandit manages to get out.

 

 Zero rushes to the lock and turns the dials to spell out “roar” where he could see it then turns them together until the lock pops open. In a frenzy he fumbles while removing the lock from the door. With reckless disregard he kicks the metal door open and runs out into the cave.

 

“WAI-” The bandit attempts to yell but instead coughs up a not insignificant amount of blood,

 

 Passing by corpses and burning tents Zero eventually, loudly, stumbles upon two individuals fighting. One, the woman who captured him beaten, battered, and bruised standing near at least a dozen dead bandits, and wielding her gauntlets without the make shift frame. The other a fairly muscular man much better off, only showing a few flesh wound. In response to heavy foot falls and jingling chains both the fighters glare at the new addition.

 The air freezes and time stands still. In a fervor Zero surveys the ground and corpses nearest to him, then the general environment, and finally the two combatants. Before anyone else begins to react under the new information, Zero rips a sheet from a tent throws it at the male bandit and scrambles to grab an ax off a nearby. The man attempts to slice through the sheet with his sword, unfortunately his weapon fails to completely do the job. While the man deals with the sheet Zero charges with the crude ax and makes a swipe at his legs. As her tenuous ally makes his attack the woman takes the opportunity to position herself to the man’s back.

 First, Zero lands a solid hit burring the ax deep in the bandit’s leg then, before he falls or even begins to move, the woman lunges forward. She slams her clawed gauntlets over and over into to her opponent’s ribs, spine, and shoulder blades. With a sharp surprisingly shrill shriek the man cries out and after a few hapless swipes at Zero and the woman behind him the man falls over dead. Zero releases the ax and grabs the man’s sword hops backwards.

 

 The lady bandit huffs and puffs as a streak of blood runs down her cheek.

 

“Hey, hey, I don’t want any trouble. And I know you may be skeptical after last time, but lemme set ya’ straight I don’t care as long as i can get my shit and get out.” Zero offers.

 

She glares back unconvinced. “Then why’d you grab his sword?” She asks curtly.

 

“Instinct? Assurance? Look, I don’t really care if you trust me or not, but as long as you don’t start none won’t be none, capisce?” Zero points the tip of the blade away from his former capture and looks at her expectantly.

 

“Fine...” she says gruffly.

 

 Zero shoots here a wry smile in response and begins searching a close by corpse. She rolls her eyes and limps towards a rather large rather well kept tent and slips deftly inside. Zero keeps searching bodies and tents until he is interrupted by a black shadow creature bearing a white and red bone mask. The creature lunges at him before he registers it’s existence, but instinctively he raises the sword as the jaguar like entity bits through it impaling itself but also sinking it’s teeth into his arm.

 Zero shrugs off the fairly deep wound and pulls his arm complete with sword from the grimm’s maw. With a skip in his step he makes his way towards the mouth of the cave contemplating the dreadfully very real probability of an imminent grim raid. He looks outside the cave to find a veritable war zone littered with bandit corpses and decaying grimm bodies. Surveying the battlefield he finds only one damaged beowolf remaining gnawing on some unlucky raider bastard.

 

“Oh thank fuck.” He says gratefully and throws his scavenged sword into the beowolf’s head.

 

 Unfortunately the sword pierces barely into an inch into the creature’s head simply serving to anger and rile it up. Zero‘s jaw drops as the angered beast charges forward.

 

“WHY AM I SOOOOOO, GODDAMN STUPID!” he shouts running into the cave with the Beowolf hot on his tail.

 

 Zero scans the ground as he runs and feigns falling to grab a broken spear. The fiend takes the opportunity to pounce onto it’s prey. In a single smooth motion Zero positions the short spear at an angle using the ground as an anchor, and the beast falls upon the weapon. The spear head punctures and catches on it’s rib cage.

 The grimm swipes and snarls hanging a foot or so above it’s would be victim taking some flesh from his chest and face. With a grunt Zero grabs the spear handle and throws the grimm into a rather large tent. The monster flails wildly tangling itself in the tent material.

 

“GAH! WHAT THE FUCK?!” A lady shouts from within the tent.

 

The beowolf releases a harrowed cry before it and tent sheet are cut to ribbons in a whirlwind of blades.

 

“Sorry!” Zero calls back recognizing the voice and not even hiding the relief in his.

 

 The woman from earlier comes stumbling out of the torn up tent noticeably with a strange metallic device attached to her upper arm and less injured. The device shaped like a brace or combat bracer of some sort began just below her shoulder and ended just above her elbow and emitted a mechanical whirring sound.

 

“Hey! You!” She calls out to Zero

 

“Yeah? What’s up?” He calls back nervously.

 

“Look, so you’re like, looking for your stuff still, right?” Zero raises an eyebrow.

 

“And I can tell you where that is, yeah?-”

 

“Ok-” She cuts him off.

 

“But i’m gonna need you to do me a favor first” She continues bulldozing past his interjection. Zero begins to open his mouth.

 

“Ya’ see this here injector's the only thing keeping me alive, but it’s also gonna knock my ass flat out, in, oh, about a minuet... or maybe less.” her wounds healing as she speaks.

 

“Soooo-” her words slur as she falls face first into the ground making a wet thudding sound.

 

“Are? Are you asleep?” Zero asks walking to her side. He tilts his head and crouches down and sees her eyes wide open and darting around startling fast.

 

He hops back and says. “Hello… anybody in there?”

 

He moves closer again and pokes her brawny shoulder, and as he does he feels her muscles tighten and relax nearly at random.

 

“Alright, well...” He says looping his arms under her arms and pulling her up. “oof” He grunts lifting her to his chest and dragging her to his former prison.

 

 Zero places his tenuous ally in the center of the cage taking the opportunity to inspect her weapons and finding a very ornate “F.L.” engraved on the inside of each clawed gauntlet. Before securing her in the enclosure he searches her pockets finding dried meat and dirty cloth. He replaces the cloth in her pocket, takes the meat and locks the cage behind him.

 Zero lazily saunters to the mouth of the cave and begins looting the corpses at the entrance.

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” a deep baritone voice cries out some distance away.

 

 Zero looks up from one of the bodies he was picking over and begins surveying the land. Birds fly away and he catches a glimpse of grimm heading to the source in the forest. He exhales calmly, cracks his neck, and returns to scavenging.

 

 


	12. Way to Fall

===================================== **Some Time Later** =====================================

 

 Zero sits atop the cage sorting out his various spoils: dust crystals, a handful of credits, an ass ton of rank smelling cured meats, a multitude of old and busted weapons, some vials of mysterious liquid, and needles.

 

“Urrrrrrggggggghhhhhh.” a groan comes from inside the cage followed by. “Wuhhh??”

 

“Oh, wel-” Zero is interrupted by the sound of rending metal and sudden lurch forward sending him falling off his perch.

 He fumbles clumsily trying to catch himself only to end up on is back. He takes in the sight of the cage’s occupant bare handed prying apart the bars. His eyes widen as he catches the look in hers. She stares coldly vacant at the boy. The lady steps out of the cage onto Zero’s chest. He grimaces as she treads upon him over to the mouth of the cave.

 

Zero stands up, runs up behind her, and places a hand on her shoulder saying. “Hey, what the hell?”

 

 She responds by ever so deftly inserting her claws into his forearm, resulting in a hefty spray of blood. As his blood pours and drips down her gauntlet and onto her wrist she pause her cold eyes staring confused at her weapon. Zero grits his teeth reels his free hand back forms a fist and slams his knuckles across her jaw. She stumbles back accidentally, suddenly pulling the claws from her prey. Zero lets out a pained yelp.

 

“wuhhaaaa...?” She groans rubbing a palm against her chin then forehead. “wahuss huppnng?” she says quietly mumbling to her self.

 

 Zero holds his arm squishing it together waiting for the three gaping slits in it to stitch back in place. He snarls at her and lunges forward trying for a head butt. She effortlessly interrupts the attack and, using his momentum brings him down face first. She then quickly, reflexively moves behind him plants one leg solidly jams the other knee into his back and grabs both his arms bending them backward.

 

“Hol-urp-hold up what’s going on?”she says groggily.

 

“What the fuck!? You busted out of your safety cage, stepped on me, stabbed me, then put me in a wrestling hold when I defended myself!!!” He rattles off petulantly.

 

“Woops.” She says sheepishly.

 

“FUCKING, WOOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!?????” He yells.

 

“Yeah, I probably should’ve warned you about the side effects. Sorry” She apologizes while slowly releasing him from the hold.

 

“What, side effects?” he says through gritted teeth.

 

“Well, stim-up causes some bad shit including, particularly when I use it paralysis, hallucinations, and walking daydreams. Usually just takes a slight shock to snap out of it but the dose I took was pretty big so…” She says offering her hand to help Zero to his feet. “Anyways sorry.?” she says apprehensively.

 

 By this point the pain had subsided, the wound had healed, and his annoyance and overall “done with it”-ness over the situation drove him to accept his aggressor’s kindness with his own. Zero firmly takes her hand in his and in tandem with her pulls himself up.

 

“IT’S FFFFFINE, WHERE IS MY STUFF?!” He says not quite yelling but certainly not his speaking voice.

 

“Oh, uh. Yeah… That… it’s, uh, yeah, it’s over this way. Here follow me.” She says heading toward the cave’s entrance/exit. “Uh, yep, right over here.” She says effortlessly tossing a boulder aside revealing a trunk buried in a hole.

 

 She pulls the stash out with one clean yank then ushers Zero to it with a smile. He squints skeptically first eyeing up the box the his ally’s smile, then saunters forward and pops off the lid. Inside lies more dust, credits, various weapons, ammo, the empty saddlebag from the ATV, and his gifted scroll. He shoots her a sidelong glance before scoping up what he can see of his gear. He pockets the phone and some rounds then digs around looking for his pistol.

 

“So, i’ll just come right out and ask” She begins. “do you wanna group up for a while?”

 

“ _ **What? Why?**_ ” Zero says unnecessarily curt.

 

“Well, i’ll be honest. I don’t like being alone, and seeing how my crew just went through one of the most lethal mutinies i’ve seen-”

 

“And you'd trust someone _you_ not only robbed, but stabbed multiple times, to watch your back?” He says snarkily.

 

“Not usually, but.. how do I put this? You seem” she taps her temple contemplatively. “honorable? Loyal? I dunno, just like i could trust you.”

 

Zero silently chuckles to himself and says. “Ya’ know they say ‘there’s no honor among thieves’ but so long as you don’t stab me **_again_** , i'll trust you.”

 

“I'll take that as a yes, name’s Grahm Thorton! Nice to meetcha partner.” She says giving him a friendly slap on the back.

 

“Zero.” He says trying to hide his discomfort from Grahm’s hardy slap.

 

“Zero, huh? don’t like it, i’m gonna call you Rocky.”

 

“Why?” Rocky inquires.

 

“Because you go down like a ton of bricks!” She says snickering.

 

He groans to which her smile deepens. he and turns his attention more fully to the bandits’ cache. Eventually Zero finds bits and pieces of his weapon having been apparently dismantled and subsequently lost.

 

“Hey, uh ya’ wouldn’t happen to know why my gun is in pieces.” He says in a biting tone.

 

“Shit.” She mutters under her breath. “They must’ve scrapped it for parts. I’m sorry, but there are plenty of other guns in there. An-and, uh, I know this crazy talented smith in Badrick, a town nearby. She might be able to replace the missing parts if you’re really attached to it.”

 

“ughhh...” Zero groans under his breath and grabs the bridge of his nose.”Yeah, okay. Fine i’ll just grab, uh, something. Hey, uh, what _is_ this?”

 

“You, yeah, you don’t wanna touch that...” She says intentionally avoiding eye contact.

 

“Wha? Why? What is it?” He asks confused.

 

“That’s uh, that’s a -heh a–sex toy.” She says awkwardly.

 

“Oh.” He says solemnly.

 

Without another word Zero drops the “toy” stands up and walks into the forest.

 

“Guy.” She says and dashes to the trunk and snatches something then runs after Zero. “Hey! Wait up it’s dangerous out there!”

 

 


	13. Inconsistent Time Values

  Zero and Grahm wander semi-directionally weaving through trees and avoiding grim.

 

“Oh yeah, almost forgot, take this.” she says handing him a sort of double barrel shotgun.

 

 Zero accepts the weapon and nods in appreciation.

 

“That puppy fires off compressed Aura, so you don’t even need to worry ‘bout ammo! Pretty cool right? We lifted that off one tough son of a bitch too, prolly a huntsman.”

 

“Huh” Zero raises the weapon to firing position, aims at an errant tree and pulls the trigger.

 

 … and nothing happens.

 

“Yeah, thought so.” Zero says pointedly. “Here it’ll be better off with you.”

 

 Grahm takes the gun with a puzzled look on her face fires at the same tree, yet this time a blast of red energy rips into it nearly splitting it at the base. “huh, it’s not broken _**and**_ I was holding back, too.”

 

 Zero starts with a groan. “So, uh since we’re ‘partners’ now. Yeah, I can’t really project my aura like most people I can kinda activate dust but only a little bit, that’s why I need this thing repaired.” He says showing off the dismantled firearm. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t figure that out after our first, erm, encounter.”

 

“Oh, I just thought your aura was really weak...” Grahm says under her breath.

 

“What?” he says obliviously.

 

“I thought your aura was just weak as shit.” She says louder and smirking.

 

“Fuck off.” He says fighting back a manic grin.

 

“Hey wait a minute does that mean you can’t use dust, since you can’t manifest your aura? I saw you stuffing a buncha crystals in your pockets, what’re you gonna do with those sell ‘em?”

 

“I can! The reactions weaker the most, but I _**can!**_ And yes I _will_ sell them. You got a problem with that?” Zero refutes defensively.

 

“(Boy I really hitched my wagon to the wrong horse.) Anyway, if you cant use dust would ya’ mind loaning me some should things get dicey?”

 

“i… i” Zero croaks out baffled. “I just, like JUST, told you I CAN use dust!”

 

“Yeah yeah. So about lending me some dust?” She presses further.

 

“FINE,” He says clenching his fist. “but if you wanted some why didn’t you take any while we were at the camp?”

 

“Because, I don’t want it _**now**_. i’m just saying if we get into trouble I might need some especially since you can’t use dust.” She smirks emphasizing her taunt.

 

 Zero sighs, rolls his eyes, and flips her of and takes the lead.

 

**1 HOUR LATER**

 

 As the two strangers bound tenuously together make their way through the thick wood the bandit turned ally scratches her head while eyeing up a tree with some odd markings carved into it.

 

“Hey hey this way! I just remembered this awesome shortcut that’ll have us to the nearest settlement in under an hour, my guarantee!” The former bandit says confidently

 

 Zero looks her way and ponders for a second or two, then grunts and nods to acknowledge his acceptance. She grins and begins leading the way with much gusto while her former prey silently follows some distance behind.

 

“You don’t talk very much do ya?” Grahm slaps his back playfully.

 

“I do…” Zero offers, to which Grahm raises an eyebrow. “when i’m drunk.”

 

“Yeah right. Like you drink what’re you fourteen?” She mocks

 

“Around eighteen?… I think.” He adds unsurely.

 

A few seconds pass and Grahm coughs conspicuously. A few more seconds pass and Grahm sighs.

 

“Aren’tcha gonna unpack that for me, or at least ask me how old _I_ am?” Grahm asks curmudgeonly.

 

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Zero pushes through some bramble heading toward a light in the distance. "Either of those things..."

 

“… I’m seven-teen by the way, god you’re bad at conversation.” She taunts

 

“you’re exhausting.” He mutters under his breath. <How far’s this settlement?>

 

 

                                                                                        **SOME TIME LATER**

 

 

 Zero and Grahm back light by the setting sun find themselves up against a large uneven circular rocky wall.

 

“First of all, you said you knew a shortcut that’d get us there in under an hour. Second you said you knew a secret entrance, and now i’ve seen no evidence of either.” Zero got quite short as he felt around the stone wall.

 

“Aw, c’mon man! It was here the last time, like for sure for sure.” She whines scratching her head. “Alright look. I’ll just throw you over the wall, i’m pretty sure I can talk my way in anyway.”

 

“One, that wall’s at least twenty feet high, so even if you can throw me over-which I doubt- how am I supposed to get down? Two, if you think you can just talk your way in why don’t we just both go in through the regular entrance?”

 

“That’s fair, I just really don’t like dealing with a guard here. By the way I could totally throw you over the wall though, but you’re right since you’re fucked up and broken and can’t use aura you’d probably just die.”

 

 Zero rubs his temples with his finger tips then gestures his hand is a sweeping motion starting at his chest then away as if to say. “Lead the way.” Grahm nods slumps her shoulders and begins mournfully trudging toward the entrance gate.

 

 Upon arriving Zero sees a massive steel gate standing just as tall and somehow melded into the stone surrounding the settlement. Approaching the massive gate he sees two young men stand guard in armor beat to hell and back.

 The guard on the left; maybe six-teen, his armor noticeably maintained compared to his companion’s and tighter. His frame muscular and stocky standing maybe 5’5 or so. His hair very light pink and cut short into a crew cut and his eyes a light caramel color.

 

 The guard on the right; his hair solid pink short on the sides yet obviously not cut and seemingly styling itself into a sort of mohawk rising up at least six inches then falling back down another twelve, pale as a ghost. Taller than his fellow guardsman, Zero, and Grahm and almost as thin as Zero. His armor loose and far more neglected. His eyes violet.

 

“Heya Atter, Rubrum...” Grahm starts friendly enough but starkly shifts tone at ‘Rubrum’.

 

“Oh hey Gr-” The taller begins returning the greeting.

 

“Who’s that dork, you’re walking with Grahm?!” The short yells his voice jockish and grating. “First those assholes and now this fucking twink’s your boyfriend?!! COME ON!!!”

 

 Zero’s eyes narrowed and his face contorted into a peculiar shape hard to accurately describe, but if one must, the best approximation would be that of a man suddenly realizing a horrific truth and smelling rancid trash at the same time. The taller glares and seemingly musters a fair bit of his strength to smack the back of his compatriot’s head, but it’s impact is weak and barely spurs the shorter guard to effortlessly slap his hand away.

 

“YUP, Cause i’m a dirty dirty whore, anyways let us in.” She replies flipping off the short guard.

 

“Aw, c’mon that’s not what I meant, it’s just that like you’re with all these guys and, it’s like, i’m like right here ya’know?”

 

“Fucking stop!” The taller guard chimes in saying what Zero would if he weren’t so dumbfounded and a much more polite version of what Grahm would. “Every time Rubrum, every time?”

 

“Listen to your brother short stack, now let us in.” Grahm smiles and still conveys her annoyance.

 

“Uh, about that Grahm, before we can we do actually need to know who that guy with you is.” Atter imparts meekly. “Sorry, it’s just that old man Grau’s been really riding our asses about guard detail.”

 

“That’s, uh, Zero and he’s… uh ya’ know-” Grahm starts.

 

“He’s my friend.” “Her victim.” Grahm and Zero say in unison.

 

“Aw nah nah nah he’s joking, joking!” Grahm panics

 

“No i’m not. Her and her bandit buddies ambushed me, beat me, robbed me, and then killed each other in some sort of fucked up power struggle.” Zero deadpans.

 

“NO! NO! It’s jokes, jokes!” Grahm desperately tries to undercut her companion’s claims while she waves and flails her arms wildly.

 

“So, the part about the bandit blood feud?” Atter questions.

 

“Actually,” An idea begins to form in Grahm’s words. “Yup! About half of them got fed up with us trying not to kill our marks and tried to launch a coo, so now I- with this guy’s help- am a free agent no more bandit life for me.”

 

“She also stabbed me… like a lot, like a frankly unreasonable and upsetting amount of stabbing.” Zero continues as if no one spoke up.

 

“Fuck it, I don’t get paid enough for this just get in! it’s getting late and if this means getting chewed out by Grau i’ll just deal with it as it comes.” Atter scratches the back of his head with one hand and gestures them into the opening gate with the other.

 

Zero quickly walks through the raising gate with his head down while Grahm strolls leisurely through now fully open gate.

 

“Where’s that blacksmith’s shop you were telling me about?”

 

“Ya’ see that big antenna a bit further down? Like in the middle of town? Well, her shop’s just like diagonally left from that. But she might be closing soon so you go ahead without me i’m gonna sell some of this junk and get a room for us at the inn.”

 


	14. One Small Step Back Outside

 Zero followed his ally’s directions and found himself at an oddly out of place old brick and mortar building from which the sound of metal slamming against metal dominated the ambiance. The old shop stood out against the lines of stalls and hastily setup vendors. It had seemingly been charred black as if it had barely withstood a raging inferno and it’s architecture only matched a few of the structures and ruined edifices Zero had past on his way.

 The young man’s eyes narrow as he approaches the smithy’s threshold, and gives a gentle three knocks against the heavy metal door. One. Two. Three. He starts tapping his foot impatiently then tries opening the door, and to his surprise it opens. Inside he sees a young lady, maybe 17-20, banging away at an anvil. Zero notices most of her attire is fairly standard blacksmithing fair except for a peculiar mask resembling a wielding mask in function but aesthetically more akin to an old world knight and a rock and roll metal costume.

 

“Ahem.” Zero fake clears his throat and waits for a response… which he does not receive. “Excuse me!” He raises his voice over the clanging.

 

 She stops mid wind up hammer hanging in the air and turns to face her would be customer the helmet whirring mechanically. An awkward pause takes over the room as each party expects the other to speak first.

 

“So did ya’ need something, or are you just here to waste my time?” the smith asks curtly.

 

“Uh, sorry. I’m here to ask about getting a gun repaired… or rather some missing parts replaced.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Her speech echoing out from her mask. “Name’s Brighton Burrows, sometimes B.B. ya’ got the piece ya want me to look at or what?”

 

“Yeah,” he produces the trusty pistol from a pocket. “so here. I, uh, kind of got robbed, and the assholes who did it tore it a part and lost some of the smaller parts.”

 

“Hmmm, let’s see here.” she mutters as her fingers gently glide deftly across the ruined weapon carefully taking in every little detail. “This. This is quite unique it’s build is seemingly conventional but belies a master’s complexity… interesting.” She turns a burning gaze toward him and asks. “Who made this?”

 

“Well, I don’t actually know who made the thing. Honestly I just kind of ended up with it second hand hell maybe even third or fourth given it’s condition.” Zero thinks, ‘that’s what I should tell her, if I was an honest person...’

 

“Hei Xiong, a master gunsmith from Vale.” Zero actually replies thinking, ‘Sorry buddy, but you’ll be able to handle any trouble from this.’

 

“i see...” B.B. replies solemnly and places the weapon delicately aside and begins walking towards him menacingly. “NOW LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!” she shout’s slamming her fist into Zero’s stomach.

 

 The strike comes in fast and unexpectedly crushing into his unprepared insides and bringing him to his knees. He reactively covers his mouth haphazardly shielding some of the saliva and bile spewing out from the impact. In another swift motion the Blacksmith grabs a handful of her victim’s hair and slams his head against the bulky metal door.

 

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME KID!” Brighton says with a steely sternness. “Now tell me again, who made that gun?”

 

“I don’t know!” He shouts in pain and trying to appease her.

 

“What?”

 

“I don’t know who made! I lifted it from the corpse of a huntsman!” He blurts out accidentally spilling his guts and catching himself by surprise.

 

“oh… hmm.” She says meekly, letting go of her grip. “so he… dammit. Hey uh, look kid, this gun is wrecked and without some serious time. money, and effort it's not going to be in firing anytime soon, but i’ll offer you a deal. You trade me this piece and i'll get you something comparable or better by tomorrow”

 

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH YOU PEOPLE??!!” He throws his hands up.

 

“Oh quit being a baby, i’m offering you a golden opportunity here. You let me keep this gun and i’ll outfit you with a new one right now, for free!” she says going for the hard sell.

 

“Ya’ know what?! Fuck it that’s fine I don’t care anymore, I just- I just don’t want to think about _anything_ for awhile, so that’s fine!” Zero agrees sardonically demoralized. “Keep it, I’ll come for the replacement in the morning, cool?”

 

She nods and turns back to where she placed the weapon earlier with haste. Zero stands there aimlessly for a second while B.B. goes back to work, then leaves wordlessly.

 

“Heya, ya’ get your equipment settled with B.B.?” Grahm says meeting Zero a yard or two from the entrance to Brighton’s shop.

 

“I’m going to find a bench or a tree to sleep under, see ya’.” Comes a defeated dismissive reply as he walks away.

 

“Ha ha… wait f’real?” Grahm interrupts her own laugh as Zero continues walking off deeper into the dusk of impending night.

 


	15. The Storming Mind

 The rattle of chains, gunshots in the distance, exposed skin burning like fire in an unyielding blizzard. Chapped and bleeding lips eyes nearly freezing a painful cough, then suddenly without provocation the butt of a rifle slams into the back of the head. Vision blurs and legs give out after a few steps.

 

  A deep chuckle in the ear as a strong yank on the metal collar pulls away from the snow along with some skin frozen to the iron. Back to walking against the storm and stumbling on a corpse and realizing it’s still alive clutching it’s collar and spasming erratically yet slightly. A barrel pressed against the back and the order to keep moving.

 

  The night passes in an overcrowded cell. Someone grunts and tears off their ragged ‘uniform’ and then falls silent. The morning comes and the light shows a naked purple woman, the sight used to chill the blood and tug at the heart… used to. A bell rings the cell door opens and people begin rushing out to be met with another trek to the mine. Inside the mine an explosion rumbles and outside gunshots ring out again neither events common nor uncommon.

 

  The gunfire persists gaining volume and multiplicity, somethings off. So much noise fills the mines bouncing off the rock walls and igniting a frenzy. A rush of tingling air followed by a wave of smoke the a boy, a familiar face, a hero in his own right leads a crew of hapless children out of the mine. The boy yells something but is drown out by screeching winds, oppressive gunfire, and roaring explosions.

 

 Shrapnel lodges it self in the eyes and chest, literal blinding pain. The boy leading carries the wounded and instructs the others able to do the same. Another blast, more debris, more wounded. The leader collapses, leg ruined dripping with blood, mangled beyond recognition below the knee. A group of brightly colored people close in on the group of kids shouting something, but being muddied by the ambient noise. The blinded boy claws his ways desperately away smashing into and callously scrambling over his former savior.

 

 Clawing at the cold ground fingers bleeding from the effort. Crawling, scrapping against hard ice and burning cold snow over and over again dragging randomly. Noise closes in, pace accelerates… faster and faster. Then, a hand reaches out expectantly yet finds no purchase. Falling. Cracking, ice breaks, a rush and sinking. Unbelievable freezing, cold gripping devouring darkness. The rush fades, heart slows, mind goes blank.


	16. Casting Shadows

 

A figure stands enveloped in the shadows of an alleyway on a rainy Mistral night. The shadows squirm and shudder or a second the recede to the figure’s feet as they leave the ally. The light of a bustling ‘red light’ district reveals the face of a pale young man in a nice business suit blue short spiky hair blue and eyes, and behind them lie an eviscerated pile of meat bone and viscera in a vaguely human shape. The young man straightens his tie and the pulls out a pager while blocking off the alley with his free arm.

 

A couple of well dressed older gentlemen sit in an office drinking shots of clear alcohol.

 

“Eh, Murasaki one more to the kid, yeah?” A man with slick back gray hair and a scar over his right eye says happily.

 

“You don’t think you’ve had enough, you drunken bastard?” Murasaki, a slightly younger man with jet black short hair with streaks of white and a gold tooth says.

 

“Aw, c’mon don’t be like that. Our little Jester’s finally becoming a maid man, aint enough drinks in the world for an occasion like that!” The scarred man says cheerfully.

 

“You say that like that’s something to celebrate.” Murasaki says shaking his head.

 

“More like a dirge for his innocence.” The gray haired codger rubs his chin satisfactorily.

 

“Kiiro, that kid hasn’t had an ounce of innocence for as long as either of us have known him.” Murasaki cracks his neck and takes a look through the office window’s blinds.

 

“Heh-heh. You may have a point there, but, but this is how this is how things are done: The Macha find both mourning and joy at the bottom of a barrel.” Kiiro chuckles.

 

 _ **CRACK CRACK**_ two strong knocks at the office door break the rhythm of the two men’s banter.

 

“Zero seventeen twelve.” a dull monotone voice comes in muffled through the door.

 

“Damn son, that was quick!” Kiiro exclaims quietly to himself.

 

 _ **CRACK CRACK**_ Two decidedly quicker knocks then. “Zero seventeen twelve.”

 

“We heard ya the first time.” Kiiro shouts as Murasaki opens the door.

 

Before the grizzled gent stands the young man from the alley his hair and clothes still damp from the rain. The boy, maybe eighteen at most, stands expressionless awaiting his superior’s acknowledgement. Murasaki raises an eyebrow looks the kid over then gestures him inside the office. The boy silently complies and swiftly moves into the office to meet the judging gaze of the man currently knocking back a shot of clear alcohol.

 

Two loud slams coincide with Kiiro banging his shot glass against the hard wood table and Murasaki closing the door. The boy’s shadow congeals and erratically jolts and snakes it’s way up his body peaking out along his wrists.

 

 

“Easy, boy.” Murasaki taps a closed fist on the top of the boy’s head, and takes his seat.

 

“Yeah, Jester. You would want us to get the wrong idea and execute you, right?” Kiiro casually sneers.

 

The shadow returns to it’s place beneath his feet and Jester grimaces.

 

“Good, now your report?” Murasaki asks leaning forward and waiting intently.

 

“Target ‘Fancy Dancer’ successfully eliminated 12:07 a.m. , no unnecessary casualties, clean up crew confirmed target’s corpse and password at 1:15 a.m.” Jester rattles off blandly.

 

“Yikes kid, you talk about killing a man like I talk getting the pipes fixed. I hope you can at least muster a little more passion in your off time.” Kiiro projects his concern.

 

Jester winces and turns his head away. “Is there anything else you wanted to know?” Jester asks petulantly.

 

“Hey hey kid, that’s not an insult, i’m just worried about ya’. All I’m saying is if you don’t let loose every now and then this business will tear you apart.” Kiiro’s tone softens genuinely.

 

“I-I apologize sir, and thank you for the advice.” Jester hangs his head to hide his embarrassment.

 

“Yes well, as of today you are no longer a pledge nor a contractor, you are family.” Murasaki pushes past the newly introduced awkward air. “The Macha asks for all of you fully and completely and will accept no less your life is ours now, but on the same note our lives are yours as well.”

 

Jester’s cautiously affixes his gaze to Murasaki.

 

“These words representing the Macha passed down to me from our forbears and now to you, ‘Fin sanfiola hun cheil.’ their true meaning long since discarded now living only through us these words now also define you.” Murasaki signals Kiiro.

 

Kiiro nods and opens a drawer behind the desk, then tosses two ornate knives to Murasaki. With impressive accuracy Murasaki catches one at the hilt and the other at the tip of the blade the points the free handle at Jester. The young man nods and surreptitiously takes the knife into his hand. Murasaki shows his left palm upon which a scar of a segmented spiral.

 

“For now, you just need the basic outline of the spiral, no no connecting lines.”Murasaki takes the knife and begins carving a segment a new segment into his palm. “We’ve got a guy who can clean it up for you later, so don’t worry too much about getting it exact.” he continues unimpeded.

 


	17. Morning's Kiss

A gentle breeze blows as the milk light of dawn crests the walls of the settlement and splashes against a sixteen or seventeen year old boy sleeping precariously in a tree.

 

“Fucking nightmares...” Zero groans rubbing the sleep his eyes.

 

Zero props a hand against a branch readying to leave but his hand slips on the fresh morning dew losing his balance. Wobbling and flailing Zero falls twelve feet from his perch in the tree straight onto his back. With a heavy thud the impact knocks all the breath from his lungs. With a wheezing hiss Zero turns unto his side and curls into a ball.

 

“Ooowww.” The whine less said and more escaped his mouth in stuttered gasps.

 

“Oh my god, are you okay?” A concerned voice comes from some where to his right.

 

Zero blushes deeply then shuts his eyes tight and prays to any god that’ll listen, ‘Please oh please, tell me I am still asleep.’

 

“That looked really bad!” The voice interrupts the train of thought.

 

“Fuck!” Zero reflexively shouts as he rolls onto his feet and into a sprint as fast as humanly possible.

 

Without even a thought to any direction or destination in his haste Zero found himself wheezing with his back against Brighton’s smithy. In the fresh daylight he noticed an old rusted metal sign hanging from the storefront reading “Fools Luck.” Zero takes a second to compose himself before deciding to check in with the headstrong smith now.

 He pounds his palm against the heavy steel door three times then waits a few seconds for a response before entering. Inside he finds the room nearly pitch black with only source of light illuminating the room shining in from the door he just opened. With the low visibility Zero struggles to make out any details in the room. Barely he manages to make out B.B.’s forge and various materials laid out on an anvil.

 

“Hello? Brighton?” Zero cautiously calls out into the inky dark.

 

“URGH!” A loud groan comes from far left corner of the room behind the anvil. “What manner of wicked fiend harangue's my residence?!”

 

“Uhhhhhh, i’m here for a gun?” He speaks very conciliatory.

 

“Huh?!” A shout comes then a hand wrapped in covers bursts onto the anvil pulling a bundled blacksmith to her feet. “Oh it’s you, the kid from yesterday.”

 

“Uh, Zero...” He corrects the smith.

 

“Yes, numbers...” she turns to face him from her cocoon of blankets.” Anyways why are you here?”

 

“T-the gun, i’m here for the gun.” Zero stutters trying to remind her of their deal

 

“Ah. Yeah… right, the gun. Anyway <Yawn> come in and take a seat I'll get the lights.” She says perking up.

 

“uh, yeah… sure” Zero mutters cautiously entering the darkened room and letting the door close behind him.

 

Brighton pops a hand out from her covers and runs a hand along the wall nearest to her and turns a knob about half it’s max. The lights responds with a pleasant middlingly bright light filling the room easing the adjustment for both the light of morning and enveloping darkness of the shop. Brighton emerges from her blanket cocoon wearing the same thing from yesterday barring the mask. Her hair a platinum blonde mess of split ends pulled into a pony tail and eyes a deep vibrant shade of green.

 

“Yeah yeah yeah! So, I came at this girl with the same design principal of your Contender ‘Kill it fast, kill it hard, and rip through aura it wasn’t even there!’ right?” Her intense excitement nearly maniacal and yet still oddly professional as she walks over to a black leather case.

 

She opens the case gingerly retrieving the contents, a black revolver with a slide and a bottom barrel appreciable larger than Zero’s ‘trade in’.

 

“This here’s my first ever auto-revolver!” B.B. shoves the giant weapon it’s owner’s face to which Zero responds by taking the beast into his hands. “It holds ten rounds, and although I had to drop the caliber from your original Lady, I've designed a few tricks to compensate for that. So, say you’re up against some one with particularly strong aura or an especially tough grim” Brighton points at the trigger guard

 

Zero complies and pulls just like his single shot unsure of what to expect. To his surprise the barrel swings open leaving the cylinder open for reloading and revealing ten dummy bullets prompting a confused eyebrow raise. Brighton then points to a switch next to the trigger near his resting thumb. Again Zero complies although a bit more tenuously. The cylinder reactively springs to life breaking apart at between the chambers and reform flawlessly clustering all the dummy bullets into one “super” chamber while the barrel hooks it’s self to knock against the bottom edge of the grip.

 

“Now, if you’d pull the trigger now you’d fire every round in the cylinder almost certainly dealing lethal damage to anything unlucky enough to find it’s way in front of you.” Brighton’s words exude immense pride. “And if you hit the trigger guard again you’ll reset it to it’s original form ready for single round firing.”

 

“Wait you said you dropped to a lower caliber, right?” Zero asks sensing an angle.

 

“Yeah, I couldn’t find a way to keep the barrel from falling apart at with cannon round your Contender was firing”

 

“Cool, cool. it’s just that you know I don’t really have-”

 

“Oh, FUCK. Right I completely forgot… uh, well look i’ll give you the ammo i’ve got on hand. it’s not much just about 50 bullets.” Brighton fall into the ‘trap’.

 

“Oh thank you! i’ve got some extra dust with me if you want some in exchange for the bullets?” Zero smirks internally thinking ‘Like a fiddle’.

 

“No, no. I mean I’m the one who forced this and I was thinking, ya’ know, I kinda lost it on you yesterday. So, just give the ammo you have on hand for your Contender and we’re square.”

 

A slight cringe flashes across his face for an instant before saying.

 

“Oh…Uh, yeah sure totally…” A kind of shock that only comes with getting caught in the act runs through his as he reaches for his ammo belt.

 

“Here ya’ go.” Zero says awkwardly and sporting an equally awkward smile as he hands Brighton three rounds he manged to scavenge from the bandit camp.

 

She raises an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t happen to be trying to fuck me right? No trick or grift?”

 

Zero nervously shrugs and smiles unconvincingly. Brighton responds with a sweet smile a swift roundhouse to his ribs. Zero falls to the floor gasping for breath thinking ‘Oh she hit the liver… she hit the liver’.

 

“Now give me all the dust you have on you, and i’ll decide how much ammo you get in return.” She tilts her head to the side cracking her neck.

 

“Yes ma’am.” He says pulling four decently sized dust crystals from his pocket and a few small vials of powdered dust.

 

Brighton takes the dust and after a moment says.

 

“Here.” Dropping a box of 25 bullets next to the no longer gasping but still kneeling Zero.

 

“Thank you ma’am...” Zero takes the ammo into his hands.

 

“Never try that shit with me again.” Brighton sternly warns him. “Okay?”

 

“Yes ma’am.”

 

“There’s a good boy.” 

 

Zero stumbles out of the Fool’s Luck like a defeated drunkard coming home from a long night drinking. To his surprise not fifteen feet from the door is, who else but, Grahm walking with a cheerful yet distinctly determined gait.

 

 

“Eyyyy, Brick!” Grahm waves.

 

His eyes narrow and he cocks his head to the side. “Brick…?” He says something between a whisper and a groan.

 

“Yeah I was thinking about your nickname and I figured ‘Brick’ works better than ‘Rocky’” She elaborates and smirks proudly before she sees the same look still on her companion’s face. “Ya’know… cause I made that joke… about the bricks, cause you suck… but I called you Rocky but...”

 

Zero silently begins walking away, but before he can make any significant distance a strong hand wraps around his collar and pulls hard.

 

“C’mon I need to see B.B. before we leave.-“ _WE?!_ ”-Oh yeah where were we going again?” Grahm says effortlessly dragging Zero into the shop.


	18. Wildflower

In the opulent Rosevell family estate Clover sits inactive in the biggest bedroom she’d ever seen while just outside on either side of the door open door the twins, Cole and Zephyr, very obviously peer in at the girl. 

 

 

“Go talk to her.” Zephry whispers.

 

“Nuh-uh you go talk to her.” Cole replies at equal volume.

 

Zephyr leans further into the room to get a better view then accidentally locks eyes with the girl and pulls himself back out as quickly slamming his back against the wall he was leaning on. “No way she’s too intimidating.”

 

“Fine. let’s go and talk to her together, it’ll be easier that way.” Cole nods to the bedroom and waits for his brother to accept or deny the suggestion.

 

Zephyr gives a thumbs up and turns to the door.

 

“Three. Two-” And on two both of them walk into the room clenching their eyes shut. “Hey you wanna go play a video game with us?” Their voices quiver as each open one eye to gauge her reaction.

 

She turns to the boys confusion clearly visible upon her face and says with a voice as smooth as gravel. “What?”

 

“Uh, ya’know… a video game, like Alley Fighter… or-”

“Or, TurboGal?!”

“Or, Spacenoid?!”

“Or, Mystery of Gaia?!”

“Or, Pokémon?!”

The boys trade off excitedly listing off video game titles not clearing Clover’s confusion even a little.

 

“I-I don’t understand...” She says growing more and more bewildered.

 

“Wait! You don’t know about video games!?” Cole exclaims.

 

“N-no…” She says staring at her hands.

 

“Really? They’re super cool and fun come play one with us!” Zephyr requests enthusiastically.

“Yeah you’ll really like it, I promise, please?” Cole supports.

 

Clover looks around at the room provided to her, her pristine new clothes, and finally looks to the twins and nods cautiously. Zephyr smiles and does a slight fist pump while Cole makes to the living room. Zephyr notices his brother’s already run far ahead and Clover still hanging back and gently garbs her hand and begins leading her to their game room. Clover’s heart beat spikes as she recoils reflexively and jerks her hand from the boy’s innocent grasp.

 

“Oh i’m sorry!” Zephyr apologizes awash with guilty.

 

“Uh-oh- n-no it’s just- I mean, i’m sorry- i’ll just follow you.” She stutters regretful and nervousl.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Zephyr turns around and walks out of the room shoulders slumped, head down, and his hands in his pockets.

 

Clover silently follow the dejected boy down the ornate halls lined with drawn portraits and real photography. They pass by the large and well stocked kitchen, Felix in an apron tosses some dough when he sees his son and new house guest pass by.

 

“Oh hey! Clover, whenever you have time Violet would like to see you! She’s usually in the library or the game room.” Felix calls cheerfully to which Clover bows and nods in the door frame before continuing to follow Zephyr, who was waiting for her.

 

Zephyr continues leading and takes a sudden turn into an open door on the right.

 

“ **FATALITY, PERFECT!** ” A deep gravely voices comes from the room.

 

“C’mon, mom! Just lose already! We wanna show Clover how to play!” Cole whines.

 

“Oh you two actually worked up the guts to talk to her?” Violet sneers.

 

Cole’s faces reddens a bit and he opens his mouth ready to say something in his defense before he is promptly interrupted by his mother.

 

“I’ll tell you what,” Violet says smacking a couple of buttons and twirling the joystick on her controller. “if you can beat Psyclone on merciless you get the game, but if you lose I get to play games with Clover While you help your dad cleanup the kitchen.”

 

Cole grimaces a bit considering his options then answers, “Deal!” as Clover and Zephyr enter the room catching the last bit of their conversation.

 

“Whoa whoa whoa! You haven’t even beaten him hard mode, how the hell’re you gonna do it on merciless?!” Zephyr argues.

 

“Hey.” Violet reprimands.

 

“Sorry ‘heck’” Zephyr apologizes with a snort.

 

“Not that, have a little faith in you’re brother! I mean he’s still gonna get wrecked, but you’re brothers! Even if no one else in the world believes in him, not even himself, at the very least you should… or you can at least lie to him.” She proclaims righteously. “That’s how it used to be with my brother…”

 

 

“Yeah yeah, fine. You can do it Cole, and if you don’t i’m gonna suplex you.” Zephyr smirks, while Clover hoover awkwardly by the entrance to the room.

 

“Like you could.” Cole thumbs his nose at the notion.

 

“Alright kiddo, let’s see whatchu got!” Violet says shoving the controller into the boy’s hands.

 

With the game on the character select screen Cole moves the cursor over a long haired swordsman wearing eastern attire and a sinister looking faunus with dog ears, a snout exaggeratedly, sharp teeth, and finally lading on a character covered head to toe in high tech protective gear.

 

“Burn Down!” The announcer chimes in as Cole finalizes his selection.

 

The character Psyclone appears in the right side of the screen along with a preview of the stage in the center between the two fighters. The arena is dreary desolate forest of dead leafless trees and swirling storm clouds. “Round one! Rock ‘n Roll!”

 

After ten grueling seconds “K.O. Perfect!!!” Burn Down is without even landing a single hit on Psyclone.

 

“Round Two, Let’s Go!” The announcer excitedly calls.

 

Ten seconds, twelve, twenty, and with his opponent at half health and sixty two seconds left on the round timer the announcer calls. “Psyclone Wins! Game Over, Better Luck Next Time!”

 

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” Cole crumples into the couch.

 

“Heheheheh, chump!” Violet lays on the insults.

 

“Boo!” Zephyr heckles. “You suck!”

 

“Alright boys, you know the deal.” Violet says shoeing them away.

 

The twins begin to walk off back to the hall and smiling at clover as the pass by.

 

“Sorry, but we’ll play later cool?” Cole says to clover.

 

“Yeah, anyways mom’s cool too i’m sure you’re gonna have fun playing against her.” Zephyr gives a more subdued smile before jabbing his brother with an elbow as he hastens his pace to the kitchen.

 

Clover, still standing in the same place, nods politely as the leave then turns her attention to the older woman who was now facing her from the couch. Violet playfully smiled and rested her arms over the back of the couch and gestured for her little charge to join her on the sofa. Clover skittishly complies and carefully makes her way to the seat next to Violet.

 

“Clover, you can say what’s on your mind...” Violet says with a gentle knowing that came from experience.

 

And then, without warning whatever composure Clover had held onto throughout everything vanished. Like a damn breaking her tears started flowing without sobs or even a hint before hand. Clover sits stunned at herself.

 

Bringing a hand to feel her abundantly wet cheek she says.

“Why” far more calmly than you’d think.

“Why...” Her tone fluctuates as the sobs set in

“Why do this for me?”

“Why’d _he_ do this for me?”

“Why did mama...”

 

Violet wraps her arms around the trebling girl and pull her close to her chest in a gentle embrace. Clover stiffens up for a second initially but then allows the embrace to pull her in even leaning into it.

 

“I’ll be honest with you Clover, I don’t know why bad things happen to good people but I do know that you’re still alive and we want to help you...”


	19. A Tribe Called...

On a well used foot path to the north of Vale Zero and Grahm find themselves in a standoff of sorts with a band of odd and intimidatingly dressed people. Faunus and humans decked all manner of oddities from masks, to make up, and clothing from fallen military regimes and tribes from various areas.

 

“So...” One of the strangers, a tall figure in a robe with splotches of random vibrant colors randomly patterning it and an odd mask with vaguely rabbit like features, speaks.

 

“So.” Zero arches an eyebrow and bobs his gun along with his words very intentionally pointing the barrel at a different person before resting it facing the one who spoke up.

 

“So?” Grahm chimes in with her newly reworked claws, no longer crudely fashioned to an equally unappealing launching system, readied.

 

“This is awkward...” The same stranger continues.

 

“I’ll bet, not everyday the prey gets the jump on you, eh?” Zero smirks feeling especially proud of himself.

 

“Ah! Um, uh er.” The stranger seems to trip over their words while a few of the others in the group exchange glances, some of the unmasked people showing confusion on their faces. “Well, and I do understand your confusion, however, we aren’t bandits...”

 

“Hehe, nice try.” Zero chuckles still wearing the same smirk.

 

“No, no, we are Le Curieux’s Voyage de Paradis.” The figure clarifies and begins taking off their mask.

 

“Yeah, yeah, saying a bunch of nonsense words isn’t-”

“WAIT FOR REAL!!!” Grahm shouts to witch Zero’s smirk fades and head cocks slightly to the right in response.

 

“Well, can you think of any other band of exceptionally strange individuals you’d encounter in the middle of nowhere?” The figure purposes reveling their face, their black shoulder length hair with white streaks, black lipstick, piercing golden eyes, and vaguely feminine features.

 

“EHHHHH!” Grahm squeals upon seeing the person’s face. “You really are Le Curieux (Kuriyu), man the posters do not do you enough justice.”

 

“Why thank you, my dear.” they reply with a slight bow.

 

“Ahem.” Zero coughs and gives Grahm some major side-eye, which Grahm doesn’t even notice obviously far too enamored with the people in front of them.

“Heh, new to the world beyond the walls?” one of the still masked figures questioned with a hidden smirk, spurring a frown a glare from Zero.

 

The seeming leader makes a quick almost beckoning but not quite motion with her hand then turns to face Zero with a smile and says. “We are… huh um, how to explain it? Don’t get or give many interviews out here… I suppose you could call us an experience.”

 

“That’s not helpful.” Zero retorts.

 

“Well I do apologize, but it’s just a bit difficult to put a simple description to what we do.” They smile back completely innocently. “I suppose the best way I can put it we’re like a traveling parade.(?)”

 

“So, you just stroll about the woods throwing confetti everywhere?” Zero mocks.

 

“Come on, don’t be like that! They’re the best!”Grahm says nudging Zero in the side and holstering her weapons at either side of her hips. “These guys are icons to outcast kids, like me!”

 

“Well that is very flattering my dear, but it’s those ‘outcast kids like you’ that inspire us!” They say with a sincere smile.

 

“Eeeeekkk” Grahm squeals with glee.

 

“Okay… just to be clear… like, uh, maybe you can explain to me, practically, what you do?” Zero says pinching his nose with his free hand.

 

“Well, if you’re asking like that, we go from place to place putting on any thing from live concerts to dances to magic shows to story telling, all with our very own signature flare.”

 

Zero lets his face rest into it’s neutral position, which gave off a bored slash somewhat pissed atmosphere, and holsters his gun. “Alright, well <sigh> sorry for the misunderstanding. i’ve been a little more on edge than usual.” Zero shoots some more trademark side eye to Grahm, who again, completely no sells it.

 

“Hey, where are you guys heading next?” Grahm asks starry eyed.

 

“Well, we were going to Amaya, it's just stroll from Ironbasin, unfortunately when we arrived... well, you must be familiar with what happens.” They say with a heavy of sadness in their voice.

 

“Woof, Heya, Stinkeye, where were we heading again?” Grahm ribs her companion.

 

Zero ignores her at first before a flash of insight shines behind his eyes. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Rosevell’s gift. With the press of a button the screen lights up, then he mimics what Torchwick did. The device buffered for a few seconds the displayed a map with a location highlighted and a label next to it reading, “Avalon’s Fall – go here talk to Tony about whiskers!”

 

“Avalon’s fall? What’s that? A bar?” Grahm says eavesdropping on his screen.

 

Zero frowns and quickly stuffs his scroll back into his pocket.

 

“Avalon’s… hmm.” The troupe leader mumbles.

“You know it?” Zero swallows his pride and asks through tight lips.

 

“Hmm, yes, a very seedy place.” They offer. “Also quite the distance to go, especially on foot.”

 

“Isn’t it just in Ulster? It doesn’t look that far away on the map.” He questions earnestly.

 

“Well, you are correct on one account. Avalon’s Fall is in Ulster, unfortunately Ulster is at least 200 miles from here.” They reply courteously.

 

Zero’s mouth forms an open frown as he squints at the screen. “ugh” He groans as he catches a glimpse of the little line at the bottom left of the display showing ‘distance in miles to destination’.

 

“Weeeeelllllllllllll… Shit.” Zero says with hefty resignation.

 

“Actually, we’ll be heading to a festival in Stockford which isn’t too far from Ulster...” They say sidling up to Zero and pointing at a small area a few inches (miles) from the pin on the device’s map. “and we wouldn’t mind taking some drifters along.”

 

“Yeahh!!!” Grahm pumps her fists.

 

“What? You want protection or something?” Zero squints an eye in an accusatory fashion. “No such thing free right? So what do you want?”

 

“Well, extra help would be appreciated, but I assure you that wasn’t my intent.” They say with a very nearly undetectable amount of indignation. “However, if we _we’re_ to request anything from you two in exchange, that would be your stories.”

 

Zero narrows his eyes a bit and rubs his right middle knuckle against his left canine before gathering himself and asking. “What do you mean by my ‘story’, and how exactly do you plan on getting to, uhh, Stockford? I didn’t see you traveling with any vehicles and if moving in a group isn’t going to get me to ulster any faster than alone.”

 

“To answer your first question, I want to know who you are: things like why you are here, what lead you to crossing our path, your out look on the world and life. Honestly just any thing you’d be willing to tell. However I’m afraid I cannot answer your second question it’s something of a trade secret you see, but I can personally vouch for it’s expedience.”

 

“So, just to cut to the meat of what i’m dealing with, I _need_ to get to Avalon’s Fall A-S-A-P, and while this seems like the epitome of something ‘too good to be true’ I need this to happen. So, if you’re going to harvest my organs, at least make it quick” Zero says shrugging.

 

“Fuck that noise! i’m so goddamn down! Lets go!” Grahm shouts

 

With a sweet smile and kind chuckle they say. “Well then, I suppose I’ll take that as a yes from the both of you. Now, Arthur if you’d please.”

 

At her call a short kid with frizzy brown hair and droopy eyes slowly pushes her way to the front of the crowd to stand front of the two new recruits. She yawns and reaches out a hand.

 

“Now, if you two would please touch her hand while cloaking your entire selves in aura.”

 

A puzzled expression flashed across Grahm’s face while a similar albeit more intense expression still lingers on Zero’s. Zero takes a second to take breath before nodding to himself and complying, which Grahm takes as reassurance form an unlikely source and follows suit.

 

As soon as they make contact with the girl a wave of complete and total numbness washes over their bodies them like a tsunami yet their minds feel a clarity and a sharpness like no other. Their deadly focus followed by visions of landscapes and buildings they’d never seen before and a bird’s eye view of the exact field in which they stand. The moment feels like both and eternity and an instant but it does end rather quickly.

 

The light of comprehension flickers back in their eyes as Arthur, already walking back to where she was earlier, takes a seat next to a patch of freshly blooming white lilies.

 

“It worked, i’ll be ready in like, uh, I dunno like maybe an hour.” She says lackadaisically before returning her attention to the flower patch.

 

“Seventy-two minutes and twelve seconds, to be exact.” one of the robed figures calls out from the crowd.

 

“Thank you darlings!” the troupe leader beams at Zero and Grahm. “Well, what did you think?!”

 

“Whoa...” Zero utters nearly unintentionally, while staring at first his feet then the sky and blinking quite a bit.

 

“Weird!” Grahm says wide eyed.

 

“What was that?” Zero looks deep into their eyes.

 

“An experience like no other, wouldn’t you say?” They offer. “That was the first step in getting to Stockford and subsequently you getting to Avalon’s Fall.”

 

Zero sighs then curls his top and bottom lips in puffs out his cheeks a bit and cocks his head.

 

“I get the feeling you are unsatisfied,” The chuckle. “I will elaborate. That was the first condition for activating our dear Arthur’s very wonderful semblance ‘Places and Faces’, it allows her to bring people and what ever their aura is currently covering to any place she’s been before. That vision you saw just now was everywhere she’s been! Unfortunately our dear friend has yet to see both Ulster and Stockford, so we will be traversing from a route near there first then straight on through to our destinations.”

 

“Nice!” Grahm flashes a big toothy grin and does a fist pump.

 

“How ‘near’ is ‘near’ we talking here?” Zero

“It’s certainly within a day’s travel from Stockford and less than two days to Ulster, and for that you can thank our Arthur.” They say while flourishing their hands towards Arthur, who gives a quick thumbs up.

 

Zero nods then with a massive sigh slumps against a tree. Meanwhile Grahm begins mingling and introducing herself to the greater troupe at large. Zero furrows his brow recalling something he hadn’t fully appreciated in the moment.

 

‘Seventy-two minuets and twelve seconds’ the words flash in his mind like a bolt from the blue, ‘What? How?’ he thinks to himself. Zero scans the crowd for three people. First the ringer leader, who he sees saying something to Grahm and bowing. Then Arthur, still sitting on the stump seemingly dozing off using her arms to prop her head up. And finally the robed figure, who, as far as Zero could tell was standing behind Arthur and facing the opposite direction.

 

Zero tries for a second to suppress his curiosity, “It doesn’t matter. It won’t change anything. Just forget about it.” he tells himself fruitlessly. Before the thoughts even fade Zero finds himself mid stride on the way to Arthur and the still disguised figure standing behind her. However, before he could complete his approach he himself is intercepted by Grahm.

 

“Yeah, this guy here’s been rolling with me since my old crew imploded.” Grahm says pulling Zero into a headlock and nuggy combo.

 

“Why is this happening to me?” Zero mutters, well more mouths than actually intonates.

 

“Oh, so you two just met a couple of days ago?” a rather tall tannish man wearing purple green and blue feathers in his hair and bones around his neck and waist asks.

 

“Yep, but ya’know ‘yesterday’s enemy tomorrow’s ally’ or something like that right?”

 

“So, uhh Zero, what brings you out here?” The same person asks, his enunciation betraying a certain awkward hesitancy in addressing him as “Zero”.

 

He looks the eccentric over before replying. “>sigh< Sometimes you say, _‘hey little orphan girl, i’ll do you a solid and find your father since your mother’s corpse is rotting_ _on the bed over_ _in the corner and I really need you out of this shitty apartment.’_ And then you realize, ‘How the fuck am I gonna find this kid’s dad?!’...” reading the room Zero decides cut to the chase. “Well long story short I gotta do a smoke out a rat or a ginger’s gonna sell my ass, literally.”

 

“What?!” A few calls come from the greater crowd.

“What?!” the feathered man follows up.

“The Fuck?!” and Grahm adds.

 

Zero gives a halfhearted smile and scratches his head with his index finger. “I may have gone too far in a few places...”

 

“More like, not far enough! We want details man! We wanna here every thing!” The man’s eyes light up with passionate intrigue.

 

“wait, when you say everything…-”

“I mean EVERYTHING!”

 

“like, _‘everything’s_ a lot are you sure you want ‘ _everything’_?”

 

“Yes! C’mon! From the beginning.”

 

“How beginning are we talkin’ here?”

 

“As early as you’re willing to start, I guess.”

 

“That’s, uhh, I guess we have time right?” Zero says smirking with a slight blush. “Well, as far as I can remember it all starts in a house on a cliff…”

 

 


End file.
